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THE FLYING SAUCERS ARE REAL
by Donald Keyhoe

New York Fawcett Publications, 1950 {scanned at sacred-texts.com, March 2002} This book is in the public domain because it was not renewed in a timely fashion at the US Copyright Office, as required by law at the time. To Helen, with love Donald E. Keyhoe, who relates here his investigation of the flying saucers, writes with twenty-five years of experience in observing aeronautical developments. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis. He flew in active service with the Marine Corps, managed the tour of the historic plane in which Bennett and Byrd made their North Pole flight, was aide to Charles Lindbergh after the famous Paris flight, and was chief of information for the Aeronautics Branch, Department of Commerce.

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Author's Note
ON APRIL 27, 1949, the U.S. Air Force stated: "The mere existence of some yet unidentified flying objects necessitates a constant vigilance on the part of Project 'Saucer' personnel, and on the part of the civilian population. "Answers have been--and will be--drawn from such factors as guided missile research activity, balloons, astronomical phenomena. . . . But there are still question marks. "Possibilities that the saucers are foreign aircraft have also been considered. . . . But observations based on nuclear power plant research in this country label as 'highly improbable' the existence on Earth of engines small enough to have Powered the saucers. "Intelligent life on Mars . . . is not impossible but is completely unproven. The possibility of intelligent life on the Planet Venus is not considered completely unreasonable by astronomers. "The saucers are not jokes. Neither are they cause for alarm."[1] On December 27, 1949, the Air Force denied the existence of flying saucers.[2] On December 30, 1949, the Air Force revealed part of a secret Project "Saucer" report to members of the press at Washington. The official report stated: "It will never be possible to say with certainty that any individual did not see a space ship, an enemy missile, or some other object." Discussing the motives of possible visitors from space, the report also stated: "Such a civilization might observe that on Earth we now have atomic bombs and are fast developing rockets. In view of the past history of mankind, they should be
[1. Project "Saucer" Preliminary Study of Flying Saucers. 2. Air Force Press Release 629-49.'

{p. 6} alarmed. We should therefore expect at this time above all to behold such visitations." (In its April 22 report, Project "Saucer" stated that space travel outside the solar system is almost a certainty.)

3 On February 22, 1950, the Air Force again denied the existence of flying saucers. On this same date, two saucers reported above Key West Naval Air Station were tracked by radar; they were described as maneuvering at high speed fifty miles above the earth. The Air Force refused to comment. On March 9, 1950, a large metallic disk was pursued by F-51 and jet fighters and observed by scores of Air Force officers at Wright Field, Ohio. On March 18, an Air Force spokesman again denied that saucers exist and specifically stated that they were not American guided missiles or space-exploration devices. I have carefully examined all Air Force saucer reports made in the last three years. For the past year, I have taken part in a special investigation of the flying-saucer riddle. I believe that the Air Force statements, contradictory as they appear, are part of an intricate program to prepare America--and the world--for the secret of the disks.

the Air Force had ordered fighters to pursue the fast-flying saucers. MAY 9. And now. the whole flying-saucer riddle had been hidden behind a curtain of Air Force secrecy. As a pilot.
. "Or an Air Force secret?" "We've had several answers. the tougher the assignment got.. TRUE MAGAZINE I glanced out at the Potomac." He told me the whole story of the work that had been done by the staff of True and of the reports sent in by competent writers. a pilot had been killed. EDITOR. I'd been skeptical of flying disks.4
CHAPTER I
IT WAS A strange assignment. N. BELIEVE IT MAY HAVE BEEN PLANTED TO HIDE REAL ANSWER. Apparently alarmed. Y. "I might as well warn you. CAN YOU TAKE OVER WASHINGTON END? KEN W. the less I knew. I picked up the telegram from my desk and read it a third time. 1949 HAVE BEEN INVESTIGATING FLYING SAUCER MYSTERY. and his death was unexplained. "There's one angle I want rechecked." he told me. LOOKS LIKE TERRIFIC STORY. NEW YORK. Since then. an assignment from True magazine on flying saucers. I was in Ken Purdy's office. it's a tough story to crack. "I've had men on this for two months. recalling the first saucer story. The deeper he delved into the mystery. Twenty-four hours later." "You think it's a Russian missile?" I asked him." Purdy said. None of them stacks up. FIRST TIP HINTED GIGANTIC HOAX TO COVER UP OFFICIAL SECRET. The more I learned about flying saucers. But I'm positive one was deliberately planted when they found we were checking. In one mysterious chase. PURDY. That had been seventeen months ago. Then reports had begun to pour in from Air Force and airline pilots.

"You'll probably run into some people at the Pentagon who'll talk to you 'off the record. Project 'Saucer' gave out a hint. but they've never released the transcript. "is that." For six months. "O.' That handcuffs a writer. Air Force officials and pilot gave us clues pointing to a startling solution.I. I worked with other investigators to solve the mystery of the disks. "The only other possible explanation. Even the Air Force statements and the Project 'Saucer' report contradict each other. Many intelligent persons--including scientists--believe that the saucers contain spies from another planet. Purdy wished me hick and told me that he would work in closest harmony with me. {p. If it was handled carefully. taken at Harmon Field. Newfoundland--it was around July 1947. "But watch out for fake tips." he said. See if you can find anything about a secret picture. 8} I nodded. he described the thing he was chasing--we know that much. We checked a hundred sighting reports." Before I left. This observation has increased markedly in the past two years. We had uncovered important facts. Try to get the details of Mantell's radio report to Godman Tower.B. astronomers." I wrote. Old records gave fantastic leads. frequently crossing the trail of Project "Saucer" teams and F. Here's another lead. We knew the saucers were real. we believed the story would be in line with a secret Air Force policy. Before he was killed. Look out they don't lead you into a blind alley.K. no attempt was made to block publication. In the January 1950 issue of True. I reported that we had reached the following conclusions: 1 The earth has been observed periodically by visitors from another planet. I'll send you other ideas as I get them. When this first phase was ended. 2. 9}
. we were faced with a hard decision. It was finally decided to publish certain alternate conclusions. Rocket experts. The Air Force was informed of True's intentions.5 "You've heard of the Mantell case?" {p. agents. So did Air Force plans for exploring space.

On the Seattle Anchorage route. Such an advance (which the Air Force has denied) would require an almost incredible leap in technical progress even for American scientists and designers. 1949. Later. space visitors' motives. 1949. December 27. Air Force report M-26-49.[2] It is this summary that contains the official suggestion Of. letters. and long-distance calls. This publicity was obviously greater than the Air Force had expected. 10} disks were reported over Kentucky. we should expect some relation to obtain between the time of the A-bomb explosions. April 27.[1] But three days later. Within twenty-four hours the Pentagon was deluged with telegrams. the report adds: "Since the acts of mankind most easily observed from a distance are A-bomb explosions. the airline head reported that Intelligence officers had quizzed the pilots for hours.[3]) Since 1949 there has been a steady increase in saucer sightings. the time at which the space ships are seen. when it was plain that many Americans calmly accepted True's disclosures.]
{p. 1949. the Air Force stated that space travel outside the solar system is almost a certainty. When the pilots tried to close in. Preliminary Studies on Flying saucers. Air Force Project "Saucer" December 30. 3. the strange craft zoomed at terrific speed. Pennsylvania. In January. an enemy missile or other object. the Air Force released a secret project "Saucer" file containing this significant statement: "It will never be possible to say with certainty that any individual did not see a space ship. Texas.
. the Air Force hastily stated that flying-saucer reports--even those made by its own pilots and high-ranking officers--were mistakes or were caused by hysteria. long-range devices developed here on earth. Most of them have been authentic reports. which alternately warned and reassured the public. After stating that such a civilization would obviously be far ahead of our own. an air freighter was paced for five minutes by a night-flying saucer. mystery
[1. which Air Force denials cannot disprove. Indiana. 2. Air Force press release 629-49. Apparently fearing a panic." In this same document there appears a confidential analysis of Air intelligence reports. and the time required for such ships to arrive from and return to home base. and several other states." (In a previous report.6 the saucers are extremely high-speed." Nation-wide press and radio comment followed the appearance of the article.

thought it was a large airplane on fire. was a fiery object shooting westward so fast it was impossible to gain any clear impression of its shape or size. said he was certain that the object was not a meteor or other natural phenomenon." Another peculiar incident occurred at Tucson. Tom Bailey. taking off for a cross-country flight in a B-29. head of the University of {p. and asked him to investigate. . .7 "From their questions.] He said it wavered from left to right as it passed over the mountains. It was as mystifying to experienced pilots as to groundlings who have trouble in identifying conventional planes. The Tucson Daily Citizen ran the story next day with a double-banner headline: FLYING SAUCER OVER TUCSON? B-29 FAILS TO CATCH OBJECT Flying saucer? Secret experimental plane? Or perhaps a scout craft from Mars? Certainly the strange aircraft that blazed a smoke trail over Tucson at dusk last night defies logical explanation. Jones. . "I could tell they had a good idea of what the saucers are." he said. Bailey also noticed that the craft appeared to
. Arizona. . some 30. At what must have been top speed the object spewed out light colored smoke. a weird. Edwin F. Switchboards Swamped Switchboards at the Pima county sheriff's office and Tucson police station were jammed with inquiries. 10th Street. . Dr. One officer admitted they did.000 feet aloft. 11} Arizona department of astronomy. . Carpenter. Cannonballing through the sky. Just at dusk. 1411 E. Hundreds saw the object. [A later check showed no planes missing. Jones revved up his swift aerial tanker and still the unknown aircraft steadily pulled away toward California. astonishing hundreds in the streets below. but almost directly over Tucson it appeared to hover for a few seconds. but he wouldn't say any more. fiery object raced westward over the city. on February 1. The smoke puffed out an angry black and then be came lighter as the strange missile appeared to gain speed" The radio operator in the Davis-Monthan air force base control tower contacted First Lt. Roy L.

" be said. and other {p. There is strong evidence that this story was deliberately kept off the press wires. "we saw flying saucers.8 slow perceptibly over Tucson. He said the smoke apparently came out in a thin. Then. a Chilean naval officer. We have photographs to prove what we saw. Since there was no proof as to what caused the strange predark manifestation. reported that saucers had flown above his antarctic base. one above the other. A plane sent tip to investigate was hopelessly outdistanced. gaining substance within a few seconds. They were found to be at least fifty miles above the earth. On February 22 two similar glowing objects were seen above Boca Chica Naval Air Station at Key West. Requests for details by Frank Edwards. it was obvious the things were at a great height. and because even expert witnesses were unable to explain the appearance. The Wednesday night spectacle was entirely dissimilar. they accelerated at high speed and streaked out of sight. On the following day Commander Augusto Orrego. the U. 12} radio commentators ran into a blank wall. Back at the station. Air Force yesterday afternoon spent hours etching vapor trails through the skies over the city. the matter remains a subject for interesting speculation. radarmen tracked the objects as they hovered for a moment above Key West. dark ribbon fanning out at least a mile in width and stretching across the sky in a straight line.S. After a few seconds. Its significance was not lost on the Daily Citizen. "During the bright antarctic night. This incident had an odd sequel the following day. It ran another front-page story. At the Pentagon I was told that the Air Force had no knowledge of the sighting or the vapor-trail maneuvers. turning at tremendous speeds. heavy smoke boiled and swirled in a broad."
. The Associated Press and other wire services in Washington had no report. headlined: WHAT DO YOU MEAN ONLY VAPOR TRAIL? As though to prove itself blameless for tilting hundreds of Tucson heads skyward. Mutual newscaster. The demonstration proved conclusively to the satisfaction of most that the strange path of dark smoke blazed across the evening sky at dusk Wednesday was no vapor trail and did not emanate from any conventional airplane. almost invisible stream.

The circular craft. for nation-wide publication. He had just received a tip predicting a flurry of saucer publicity during March. In this wire story Captain Jack Adams and First Officer G. A secret report was rushed to the Civil Aeronautics Authority in Washington. a Chicago and Southern airliner crew saw a fast-flying disk near Stuttgart. watched a large formation of disks pass high above the city. as fighters raced up in pursuit. "You know what it probably means." Within three days. It had come from an important source in Washington.9 Early in March. but we're both experienced pilots and we're not easily fooled. Cuba. The two pilots said they glimpsed lighted ports on the lower side as the saucer zoomed above them. a United Press interview was quickly arranged. then they're stepping up the program. Craig Hunter. reports began to pour in--from Peru. and other parts of the world. "The same thing we talked about last month. then turned over to Air Force Intelligence. The lights had a soft fluorescence. Soon after this Dr. On March 18 it flatly denied they were Air Force secret missiles or spaceexploration devices. Turkey. . Throughout all these reports. 13} On top of this sighting. Arkansas." I said. The mysterious object streaked vertically skyward. But why were we tipped off in advance?" "It's one more piece in the pattern. blinking a strange blue-white light. unlike anything they had seen. director of a medical supply firm. . There was no apparent attempt to muzzle the two pilots. thousands of people at Farmington."
. He described it as metallic. pulled up in an arc at terrific speed. New Mexico. W." he said. There was one peculiar angle in the Arkansas incident. as in earlier airline cases. and then disappeared. reported a huge elliptical saucer flying at a low altitude in Pennsylvania. Then on March 9 a gleaming metallic disk was sighted over Dayton. {p. hovered for a while miles above the earth. "If the tip's on the level. Ohio. Instead. Observers at Vandalia Airport phoned Wright-Patterson Field. Three days later. Scores of Air Force pilots and groundmen watched the disk. Mexico. Ken Purdy phoned the latest development in the investigation. with a slotted outer rim and a rotating ring just inside. "We know the Air Force has denied there is anything to this flying-saucer business. the Air Force refused to admit the existence of flying saucers. Anderson made two statements: "We firmly believe that the flying saucer we saw over Arkansas was a secret experimental type aircraft--not a visitor from outer space. .

was a regular Navy officer. he had been stationed at the White Sands Rocket Proving Ground in New Mexico. McLaughlin. Then the Air Force made its routine denial. I was discussing it with an airline official in Washington. and the stunning contradictions. That's 18. It was found to be flying fifty-six miles above the earth. I'd say it might have been planned to offset that Navy commander's report--the one on the White Sands sightings. "You and Purdy probably know the answer. the blind alleys we entered. Commander R. smaller types. In the following chapters I have tried to show the strange developments in our search for the answer. because the Pentagon had cleared the published report.
. As a Navy rocket expert. the confidential leads. though it could have been. One of the disks. was cleared by the Department of Defense. 14} The White Sands case had puzzled many skeptics. Two other disks. Why was McLaughlin. the unexpected assistance. But they might have been told what to say about it. "That's an odd thing. a regular Navy officer subject to security screening. B. permitted to give out this story? Was it an incredible slip-up? Or was it part of some carefully thoughtout plan? I believe it was part of an elaborate program to prepare the American people for a dramatic disclosure. It looks as if they wanted that story broadcast. giving dates and factual details. were watched from five observation posts on hills at the proving ground. Commander McLaughlin's report. In his published article he described three disk sightings at White Sands. Circling at incredible speed. The author." he said. the two disks paced an Army high-altitude rocket that had just been launched." {p. At a guess. a huge elliptical craft. was tracked by scientists with precision instruments at five miles per second. then speeded up and swiftly outclimbed the projectile. "The Air Force could have persuaded those pilots--or the line president--to hush the thing up." "Any idea why?" He looked at me sharply.000 miles per hour. Probably they did see something." "You mean the whole thing was planted?" "I won't say that. So was a later nation-wide broadcast.10 The day after this story appeared. the carefully misleading tips. For almost a year I have watched the behind-the-scenes maneuvers of those who guide this program.

The official explanation may be imminent. Only by seeing all parts of this intricate picture can you begin to glimpse the reasons for this stubbornly hidden secret.
. When it is finally revealed. I believe the elaborate preparation--even the wide deceit involved--will be fully justified in the minds of the American people.11 It has been a complicated jigsaw puzzle.

The C. But something had hung over Godman Field for almost an hour. they quickly vanished.12
CHAPTER II
IT HAS BEEN over two years since the puzzling death of Captain Thomas Mantell. Hix shook his head. The first alarm had come from Fort Knox.O. Thirty minutes later. the C. Even through the thin clouds. a group of Air Force officers stared up at the afternoon sky. Mantell died mysteriously in the skies south of Fort Knox.O. . "Captain Mantell to Godman . . he sent a strange message to Godman Air Force Base. the exec. They all had a dazed look. 1948. It was January 7. Colonel Hix glanced around at the rest of the men in the tower. turned quickly as the loud-speaker. its intermittent red glow had hinted at some mysterious source of power. tuned to the P-51's. The men who heard it will never forget it." {p.. Something outside their understanding. as it barreled south of the field. Every man there had seen the thing. ninety miles away. suddenly came to life. All they could do was wait. it had zoomed up over the base. Heading south. But before his radio went silent. when Army M. Colonel Guy Hix. three P-51 fighters climbed with swift urgency. A huge gleaming object had been seen in the sky.'s had relayed a state police warning. . Crowded into the Godman Field Tower. Hundreds of startled people had seen it at Madisonville. . If the thing was still there. That was unbelievable. For just an instant. moving toward Godman Field. who had estimated its size. The clock in the tower read 2:45. It was Woods. High above the field. Tower Mantell to Godman Tower . something gleamed through the broken clouds south of the base. slowly put down his binoculars.P. 16}
. the clouds now hid it.

Mantell reported again. Ten days after Mantell was killed. I had talked with Captain Tom Brown.O. Mantell's wingman called in. I'll try to close in. When the scare had first broken. The men in the tower sweated out the silence. I learned of a curious sequel to the Godman affair. But the thing that lured Mantell to his death had vanished from the sky. Then. "The thing's starting to climb. Climbing to 33. at 3:15. and Woods stared at each other. "I've sighted the thing!" he said. When Mantell failed to answer the tower. "It's still above me.P. 17} shifted.000 feet. admitted Mantell had died while chasing a flying saucer. released at Fort Knox. "It looks metallic--and it's tremendous in size!" The C. in the summer of '47. he flew a hundred miles to the south. who was handling saucer inquiries. But by now Brown had been {p. No one spoke." In five minutes. "It's at twelve o'clock high. and no one in the Press Branch would admit knowing the details of the Mantell saucer chase. Both he and the other pilot had seen the weird object. his fighter disintegrated with terrific force. Minutes later. making half my speed. Seven minutes dragged by. making my speed or better. If I'm no closer. Though I knew the lid was probably on. was now making 360 or more. which was still unidentified." Mantell said swiftly. But there was no mention of Mantell's radio messages--no hint of the thing's tremendous size. The falling wreckage was scattered for thousands of feet.
. one of his pilots began a search." It was his last report. But Mantell had outclimbed them and was lost in the clouds. I'm going up to twenty thousand feet. Mantell made a hasty contact. Colonel Hix was quoted as having watched the object. I'll abandon chase. account in the New York Times had caught my attention. The story. An A. I went to the Pentagon. At 3:08. The strange metallic object had speeded up.13 The flight leader's voice had a strained tone.

I guess. not that I know of." I said. This I." I waited until he cooled down." he answered quickly. one of Washington's veteran newsmen. What was it?" "They sighted the thing at the Air Force field outside of Columbus." a security officer told me. usually on Axis espionage and communist activity. story. "This order you mentioned--is it for all Air Force pilots. "If it was." "Did he say what it looked like?" {p. "it's a secret Air Force missile that sometimes goes out of control." As I went out the Mall entrance." said Jack. I told him I was trying to find the answer to Mantell's death." "I missed that. We honestly don't know the answer. guy said it was going like hell. "But an I.N.S. Jack and I had done magazine pieces together.N." "Good God. man!" he exploded. anyway. man told me they had a saucer story from Columbus." "Anybody chase it?" I asked. about two hours after that pilot was killed in Kentucky. "You heard anything?" I asked him. "There's a rumor. It was around sundown." "They had fighters alerted on the Coast. do you think we'd be ordering pilots to chase the damned things?" "No--and I didn't say I believed it. when the scare first broke. "Are those orders still in force?" He shook his head." After a moment he added." I reminded him.P. "All I can tell you is that the Air Force is still investigating. "No. They didn't have time to take off. 18}
. "No. "All pilots have routine instructions to report unusual items. or special fighter units?" "I didn't say it was a special order. Ohio--and it might have been the same one they saw at Fort Knox. Fast as a jet. "Only what was in the A.14 "We just don't know the answer. I ran into Jack Daly. Before the war.S.

If he thought the subject was hot. "Have you seen the Post this week?" I told him no. When I called the Pentagon. "Maybe bigger. Two Eastern Airline pilots reported a double-decked mystery ship sighted near Montgomery. seen through field glasses. When Purdy wired me. other flying-disk stories hit the front pages. Then he swiveled his chair around. Jack promised he would. Then suddenly. one over the Pacific Ocean and one in California. was described as rocket-shaped. Project 'Saucer' is buttoned up tight. and frowned out the window. brushing the whole thing off. Alabama. Forrestal gets the Saturday Evening Post {p. Anyway. they admitted this much. The first piece hits the stands--and then what happens?"
. and that was all. The second one." said Jack. And I can't see the Air Force letting pilots get killed to hide something we've got. It had been months since any important sightings had been reported. I heard that a top-secret unit had been set up at Wright Field to investigate all saucer reports. For fifteen months. Top secret. I knew he must have reasons. When I walked into his office at 67 West 44th. 19} to run two articles. but it was almost a year before I confirmed these reports. But his message quickly revived my curiosity. as large as a B29. let me know. "There's something damned queer going on. early in May of '49. Then he said abruptly: "You know anything about the disks?" "If you mean what they are--no. Russia wouldn't be testing missiles over here. his shoulders hunched forward. It had a reddish-orange exhaust streaming out behind. I had half forgotten the disks.15 "The Air Force boys said it was as big as a C-47. "It's got me stumped." He motioned for me to sit down. Purdy stubbed out his cigarette and shook hands." "If you hear any more. They could see it for miles. There were also rumors of disks being tracked by radar. I can't believe they've got anything like that. He looked at me through his glasses for a moment. I learned of two other sightings. "What do you think they are?" he asked me." One week later. In the next few months." I said.

which practically says the saucers are bunk. Ohio. It looks as if they're trying to warn people and yet they're scared to say too much. "You mean its contradicting the Post?" He shook his head." I said." "Maybe some top brass suddenly decided it was the wrong policy to brush it off. Dayton. why did they rush this contradiction the minute the Post hit the stands?" "Something serious happened. He spent two months on it. but what?" Purdy said impatiently. In fact. "That's what we've got to find out." said Purdy. It admits they haven't identified the disks in any important cases. though I don't believe it.'" "Have the papers caught it yet?" I asked Purdy. the Pentagon press release didn't get much space. in the interests of security. Wright Field.16 Purdy swung around." I suggested. they'd have to compare it.K. Or they could simply have fed them a fake story. "Why the quick change?" demanded Purdy. the report contradicts itself. They say it's still serious enough--wait a minute--"he thumbed through the stapled papers--" 'to require constant vigilance by Project "Saucer" personnel and the civilian population. arranged interviews. "Let's say they sold the Post on covering up the truth. "No. on 'Flying Saucers. "I don't mean it's an out-and-out denial. "That same day. supposedly gave him inside stuff.'d his script. The Air Force flew him around." "Yes. How many editors would wade through a six-thousandword government report? Even if they did. "after the Post went to press. "Sidney Shallett--and he's careful. his desk. "It doesn't mention the Post--just contradicts it. the Air Force rushes out this Project 'Saucer' report. 20} Way. Either {p. item for item." I looked at the title on the report: "A Digest of Preliminary Studies by the Air Materiel Command. Then they reneged on it. with the Post piece. They O.'" "You'd think the Post would make a public kick."
." "Who wrote the Post story?" Purdy lit a cigarette and frowned out again at the skyscrapers. jabbed his finger at a document on." I said. He had Forrestal's backing. It's possible.

and she brought me a copy of the first Post article. report.
. the object faded and lowered toward the horizon. "They deny it was Venus in this report. No sound was heard. on page five. Ohio." "It's a wonder Shallett believed it. about two hours later. It made motions like an elevator and at one time appeared to touch the ground." "How'd the Air Force expect anybody to believe that answer?" I said. I read the report: "On the same day. over a year before. which tied in with what Jack Daly had told me. leaving an amber exhaust trail five times its own length. You know what Mantell was chasing? The planet Venus!" "That's the Post's answer?" I said. "It's what the Air Force contract astronomer told Shallett. 21} flight faster than 500 miles per hour. it must have been a balloon. Purdy shrugged.' The object was followed from the Lockbourne observation tower for more than 20 minutes. It was only half magnitude that day. It was described as 'round or oval. Observers said it glowed from white to amber. larger than a C-47. Ohio. But that's what they told Shallett--that all those Air Force officers." Purdy buzzed for his secretary. Linked with the death of Mantell was the Lockbourne. It quoted Mantell's radio report that the thing was metallic and tremendous in size." "I don't think he did. They say whatever Mantell chased--they call it a 'mysterious object'-is still unidentified." I glanced through the case report. incredulously." "What's the Air Force answer?" I asked Purdy. so it was practically invisible. the pilots. Finally. He says if it wasn't Venus. I've checked with two astronomers here. They say that even when Venus is at full magnitude you can barely see it in the daytime even when you're looking for it.17 "Does Shallett's first piece mention Mantell's death?" "Explains it perfectly. the Kentucky state police. "Look in the report. Columbus. and several hundred people at Madisonville mistook Venus for a metallic disk several hundred feet in diameter. a sky phenomenon was observed by several watchers over Lockbourne Air Force Base. and traveling in level {p.

was down there for a day or two.I. "Some of these were published. But you'll find the same answer for most of the important cases--the sightings at Muroc Air Base.' said Purdy." "We've found out some things about Project 'Saucer. "A major took Boal to some Air Force colonel and Boal asked to see the pictures." As I was leaving." It was building up bigger than I had thought. They've got astronomers and astrophysicists working for them." "You've got contacts in Washington. The colonel said they didn't have any." Purdy went on. some we dug up ourselves. The tip said this saucer scared hell out of some pilots and Air Force men up there. "No. the first man on this job. "Whether it's a cover-up or a real investigation. technical analysts. the disks Kenneth Arnold saw-they're all unidentified." "What did he find out?" "Symington told him the saucers were bunk.
. That was the first sighting. But try. anyway. "This is the only one I have. Sam Boal." Purdy told me. It's pretty obvious the Air Force has tried to keep them quiet." "I remember the Arnold case. "and I'll bet twenty bucks you won't." "All right.18 "You can get a copy of this Air Force report in Washington. And check on a rumor that they've tracked some disks with radar. Purdy gave me a summary of sighting reports. either." I said. there's a lot of hush-hush business to it. 22} airline pilots. the airline pilots' reports. We've been told they can call on any government agency for help--and I know they're using the F. now this report is out. One case was supposed to be at an Air Force base in Japan. also rocket expects. Newfoundland. "I'll get started." grunted Purdy. They know we're working on it. He turned red when the major said Symington had told Boal about the pictures.B." he said. Secretary Johnson admitted they had some pictures--we'd heard about a secret photograph taken at Harmon Field." "Did Boal get to see them?" I said. Maybe things aren't sewed up so tightly. "Start at the Pentagon first. "We got some confidential stuff from {p. and Air Force Special Intelligence.

" I said." said Purdy.I. "But you may be in for a jolt. They probably think they're doing what's right." "All right."
. on our necks.19 "If national security is involved. But the truth might come out the wrong way. O." "If they tell me so.. He added grimly. "But I think they're making a bad mistake. "they can shut us up in a hurry. if that's the answer." I told Purdy." "It is possible. count me out. "that the saucers belong to Russia.K." "If it turns out to be a Soviet missile." I thought." He chuckled. "We'd have the Pentagon and the F.B.

"It was as if they were linked together. I settled down to look at Purdy's summary. when he saw a bright flash on his wing. In the club car. he saw nine gleaming disks outlined against the snow. Beside the Eastern Airline report of a doubledecked saucer. similar Philippine Islands report--date unknown." I went back to the beginning. Yet we had produced the A-bomb in comparative secrecy. I saw several familiar cases. I caught a taxi and made the Congressional Limited with just one minute to spare. Arnold's estimate was twelve hundred miles an hour. If an atomic engine had been secretly developed. he had written: "Check rumor same type seen over Holland about this date." The disks appeared to be twenty to twenty-five miles {p.
. Washington. Arnold was flying his private plane from Chehalis to Yakima. Looking toward Mount Rainier. Skipping through the pages. Our supersonic planes had hit around two thousand miles an hour. I found it was ten after four. The first case listed was that of Kenneth Arnold. But I kept coming back to Mantell's death and the Air Force orders for pilots to chase the saucers. in a diagonal chainlike line. Here and there. Purdy had scrawled brief comments or suggestions. who had set off the saucer scare. it could explain the speed and range of the saucers. and I knew we were working on long-range guided missiles. he said. each one about the size of a C-54. Our two-stage rockets had gone over two hundred miles high. Also. and moving at fantastic speed. If the disks were American missiles. There was already a plan for a three-thousand-mile test range. "They flew close to the mountaintops. that didn't jibe. When I reached the lobby. It was almost as hard to believe that such missiles could have been developed without something leaking out. according to reports.20
CHAPTER III
JUST THE idea of gigantic flying disks was incredible enough. a Boise businessman." he said later. 24} away.

which received very little notice. harbor pilots. They were flat. Even at this early point in the scare. and without any sound. Kenneth Arnold's story was generally received with amusement. just three days before Arnold's experience. like a pie pan. 25} hallucination. At Oklahoma City." The date was June 24. official reports were contradicting each other. At Portland. Smith. disks were sighted at Seattle. who was working up in the Cascade Mountains. It was flying three times faster than a jet. the Air Force admitted it was checking on the mystery disks. A Portland prospector named Fred Johnson. That same day. police. just after Arnold's story broke. Most Americans were unaware that the Pentagon had been receiving disk reports as early as January. now and then dropping to a lower altitude. a private pilot told Air Force investigators he had seen a huge round object in the sky during the latter part of May. and other northwest cities. The news and radio comments on Arnold's report brought several other incidents to light. The saucers were heading southeast. And four days after his encounter. Vancouver. The things. hundreds of citizens. The rapidly growing reports were met with mixed ridicule and alarm. an Air Force pilot flying near Lake Meade. spotted five or six disks banking in the sun. described two strange fastmoving objects they had seen on June 12. Oregon. including former Air Force pilots." he said. "They were swerving in and out around the high mountain peaks. and deputy sheriffs. I never saw anything so fast. which observers had kept to themselves for fear of ridicule. On this same day there was another saucer report. J. Citizens of Weiser. of United Airlines. The Fourth of July was a red-letter day in the flying-saucer mystery. 1947. Johnson insisted he had not heard of the Arnold report. which was not broadcast until early evening. was startled to see half a dozen saucers flash by his plane. Nevada. One of the skeptical group was Captain E. and so shiny they reflected the sun like a mirror. he said. He watched them through his telescope several seconds. On July 4 the Air Force stated that no further investigation was needed. then he suddenly noticed that the compass hand on his special watch was weaving wildly from side to side. That same day.
. then swiftly climbing again. Wright Field told the Associated Press that the Air Materiel Command was trying to find the answer. it was all {p. Several mysterious objects were reported flying at great speed near Spokane. saw dozens of gleaming disks flying at high speed. appeared to be at least forty thousand feet in the air--perhaps much higher.21 "I watched them about three minutes. Idaho.

and the three of them watched the saucers for several minutes. Dr. two astronomers spiked guesses that the disks might be meteors. Dr. "There are too many reliable pilots telling the same story--flat. There had been rumors that the disks were "souped-up" versions of the Navy's "Flying Flapjack. before taking off from Boise the afternoon of the Fourth. his airliner was flying over Emmett. saw five queer objects in the sky ahead. said flatly that they couldn't be meteors. The Air Force quickly denied having anything resembling the! objects Captain Smith described. and faster than anything we have. I had called up Captain Tom Brown. because their altitude was unknown. After seeing the Pentagon comment. But the Navy insisted that only one model had been built. Smith rang for the stewardess.
. Navy." an official said in Washington. "We have no experimental craft of that nature in Idaho--or anywhere else." he told the A. "The Army. After about ten minutes the disks disappeared." he said. I recalled my own reaction after the United Airlines report. when Captain Smith and his copilot. at Air Force Public Relations.P." he told airline employees. Girard Kieuper. 26} "They're probably man-made. In Chicago. Too many stories tally. and Air Force are working secretly on all sorts of things. "Are you really taking this seriously?" I asked him." As I went through Purdy's summary." he said." a twin-engined circular craft known technically as the XF-5-U-1. Oliver Lee. Then four more of the disks came into sight. Just about sunset. Marty Morrow. "Remember the A-bomb secrecy--and the radar signals to the moon. and that it was now out of service. {p. we can't just ignore it." The Navy said it had made an investigation. agreed with Kieuper. round objects able to outmaneuver ordinary planes. "We're completely mystified. Ralph Stevens.22 "I'll believe them when I see them. "Well. director of the University of Chicago observatory. Though it was impossible to tell their size. Idaho. director of Northwestern's observatory. the crew was sure they were bigger than the plane they were in. and had no answers." I told him I'd heard that the Civil Air Patrol in Wisconsin and other states was starting a sky search.

Small meteors which break up. giving {p. Icing conditions could have formed large hailstones. The government is probably conducting some revolutionary experiments. and six fighters standing by at Portland right now. their crystals catching the rays of the sun. [A Washington scientist." said an anonymous scientist. That same day. 27} the impression of horizontal movement even though falling vertically. Vannevar Bush. "Too many sane people are seeing the things. New York. supposed to be on the staff of California Tech. dated July 7. Merle Tuve. But I know some of them carry photographic equipment. where top-secret planes and devices are tested. Wright Field admitted it was checking stories of disk-shaped missiles seen recently in the Pacific northwest and in Texas.23 "We've got a jet at Muroc. scoffed at the suggestion of mass hysteria. Out at Muroc Air Force Base. six fast-moving silvery-white saucers were seen by pilots and ground officers." Two days later an airline pilot from the Coast told me that some fighters had been armed and the pilots ordered to bring down the disks if humanly possible. world-famous scientist. Harry Steckel. "3. Dr.] "2." Brown said. inventor of the proximity fuse. At Syracuse. "The disks are caused by the transmutation of atomic energy. But it would seem that they would have been spotted falling and fragments would have been found. story. both declared they would know of any secret American missiles--and didn't. Solar reflection on low-hanging clouds." On July 8 more disks were reported. and Dr. "Armed?" "I've no report on that." By this time everyone was getting into the act. Dr.
. and they might have flattened out and glided a bit.P. The college quickly denied it. Veterans Administration psychiatrist. said this was hardly possible. Following this was an A. quoting an unnamed Air Force official in Washington: "The flying saucers may be one of three things: "1. asked for comment.

1949. Honolulu. "It could have been a guided missile." By this time. While on a secret Navy mission to New Mexico. The Air Force replied that there was not enough radar equipment to blanket the nation. hover. Alarm was increasing. Germany. they have been able to evade Air Force planes in night encounters. metallic looking. Belgium. and ability to maneuver. "I'm sure it was not a meteor. A typed list of world-wide sightings had been made up by the staff at True. It contained many cases that were new to me. and there were demands that radar be used to track the disks. but I never heard of anything like it. "The lights are usually seen singly--very few formations reported. He was crossing the desert with three other scientists when he saw the strange object flashing northward at an altitude of about ten thousand feet. showed that True's files contained all the important items. very bright--either shining white or silvery colored. There was another note on a sighting at Hickam Field.24 That afternoon the Air Force revealed it was working on a case involving a Navy rocket expert named C. and outmaneuver ordinary aircraft. reports from ships at sea. reports from Paraguay. Zohm." said Zohm. 28} by weather-balloon observers at Richmond. Idaho. in connection with rocket tests." From the mass of reports. Holland. (A few of these proved incorrect." Going over the cases. One report mentioned a curious report from Twin Falls. John DuBarry. Zohm had seen a bright silvery disk flying above the desert. T. and the Scandinavian countries. Virginia. had methodically worked out an average picture of the disks: "The general report is that they are round or oval (this could be an elliptical object seen end-on). accelerate rapidly. They can move at extremely high speed. saucer reports had come in from almost forty states. but that its pilots were on the lookout for the saucers. and a score of encounters by airline and private pilots. Turkey. acceleration.) These cases included sightings at eleven Air Force bases and fourteen American airports. I realized that Purdy and his staff had dug up at least fifty reports that had not appeared in the papers. At the bottom of this memo Purdy had written: "Keep checking on rumor that the Soviet has a Project Saucer. Alaska. In several cases. and two reports of unidentified objects seen near Anchorage.
. Someone had phoned Purdy about a disk tracked {p. too. The disk sighted there was said to have flown so low that the treetops whirled as if in a violent storm. Could be planted. the aviation editor of True. but a check with the Air Force case reports released on December 30. They seem to have the same speed.

it was serious enough to be kept carefully hidden. Navy. No matter what the answer. testing the things openly over America? It didn't make sense.B. There was something ominous about it. I learned later that many witnesses had been investigated by the F. 29} reports had been entirely suppressed. They'd scooped up a lot of Nazi scientists and war secrets. It was plain that many {p. The evidence was more impressive than I had suspected. to weed out crackpot reports.
. or at least kept out of the papers. astronomers. F. But why would they give us a two-year warning. And the Germans had been far ahead of us on guided missiles.I. and Air Force officers.25 Witnesses included Army. If it were a Soviet missile. Marine Corps. I ended up badly puzzled. I thought.B. and thousands of good solid American citizens. agents. weather observers. state and city police. God help us. shipmasters.I.

"Project 'Saucer' shouldn't object to my seeing their files and pictures." "'Look. I didn't expect to learn much. I sprang it on them cold. Everybody from Symington down will tell you the saucers are bunk. and I thought they'd tell me as much as anyone." "What pictures?"
." I said." Splitt repeated." '"That's a big change from what the Air Force was saying.26
CHAPTER IV
I WENT to the Pentagon the next morning." said Splitt. I'd worked with Al Scholin and Orville Splitt." I said." said Splitt. "How about clearing me with Project 'Saucer'?" Al shook his head. "why do you want to fool with that saucer business? There's nothing to it." I told him." "That report was made up a long time ago. Splitt looked at me a moment and then grinned. in the magazine section of Public Relations." "Then they've got all the answers now?" "They know there's nothing to it. Don. "The Air Force has spent two years checking into it. He shrugged that off. "They just got around to releasing it. but I wanted to make sure we weren't tangling with security." "That's not what Project 'Saucer' says in that April report. in 1947. When I walked in. "It's still classified secret. "What's the chance of seeing your Project 'Saucer' files?" Al Scholin took it more or less dead-pan. "In that case. "Don't tell me you believe the things are real?" "Maybe.

They just haven't got around to it."
. But they've proved a lot of the reports were hoaxes or mistakes. Newfoundland. "Tell me this: Did Shallett get to see any secret files at Wright Field?" "Absolutely not. with his grin back. {p." "Let's not go off the deep end." "It's funny about that April twenty-seventh report." "That business at Godman Field was some kind of hallucination." I said. "The Air Force doesn't claim it has all the answers. that thing. for a starter." "Then he had to take the Air Force word for everything?" "Not entirely." said Splitt. the flying saucers are bunk.27 "That one taken at Harmon Field. 31} "Look. sure. in the important cases." "I tell you that was an old report--" "I wouldn't say that. We set up some interviews for him. I went around with Sid Shallett on some of his interviews. are still unidentified." "Just the same." said Al Scholin." insisted Splitt. "I don't care if you think they're men from Mars. "the way it contradicts the Post. He looked at me. that it's serious enough for everybody to be vigilant." said Splitt. Somebody's been kidding you. And they admit most of the things. "I suppose all those pilots and Godman Field officers were hypnotized? Not to mention several thousand people at Madisonville and Fort Knox?" "Take it easy. why can't I see it?" Splitt was getting a little nettled." "If it's just a cloud shadow. "It wasn't anything--just a shadow on a cloud. as of April twenty-seventh. you know how long it takes to declassify stuff. Take my word for it." Al Scholin put in." "Oh. "You've both got a right to your opinions. Including the saucer Mantell was chasing. "the Air Force is on record." I said. you guys. What he's got in the Post is the absolute gospel." I said." "Oh.

They act like people near a haunted house. The third didn't.M. All I had learned was that the Air Force seemed divided." "Then somebody high up must not think it's bunk. If there's any security involved--if you tell me it's something you're working on-naturally I'll lay off. "We're out of copies right now.28 "One more thing--and don't get mad. You can't laugh those off." he said seriously." I said. 32} this." Later. including our own. But that could be a smoke screen. when my phone rang. I don't know it. I asked a security major for a copy of the Project "Saucer" report." As I drove home." I asked him bluntly what he thought the saucers were.
. I received my first suspicious tip. In less than twenty-four hours." he said. "but you get the feeling they've trying to convince themselves." Before I left. "I've been told it's all bunk." "Some people think it's Russian. It was about ten A." I said. if that's what you mean. I thought over what I'd heard. why haven't they closed Project 'Saucer'?" "How do I know? Probably no one wants to take the responsibility. If it's all bunk. Two of them agreed with Splitt. Splitt laughed. I tried several officers I knew. "It's not an Air Force device. "as having told you {p." "If it is. "I doubt if anybody has the full answer." Al Scholin said emphatically. But many reports have been made by reliable pilots. They'll swear it isn't haunted--but they won't go near it." said Al." After I left the magazine section. "There's been some hysteria-also a few mistakes. "I'll send you one next week. "and neither does the Air Force." he said. "I want to be on record. "Have it your own way. I told them I was working with True.

But I'd be glad to hear what you've got. directly." "Wait a minute." That startled me. He hesitated a moment. Intelligence never did get any real answer." I stared at the phone." "I've given you about all I know. If it is the Soviet--well. "No. it's obviously either Russia or us.) "I'm a former Air Force Intelligence officer. I've just begun checking. 53} "Do you have any idea what they are?" Mr." I said. Frankly.29 "Mr. {p." "Then who's launching them now?" "Well. and they actually chased our planes a number of times. "Give me your number. I have not used his real name. "No one. Steele said. "Wasn't that some kind of antiaircraft missile fired from the ground?" "No. that's what's worried me." "Mind telling me who told you I was on it?" I asked. (Because of the peculiar role he played."
. We thought they were something the Nazis had invented--and I still think so. "Maybe you've got something. then and later. "But I've always wondered about the 'foo fighters' our pilots saw over Europe near the end of the war." said Steele." I thought for a second. "I heard you're working on the flying-saucer problem. so far as I know." said the voice at the other end. in case I find anything." he said quickly. trying to figure him out. "I may have some information that would interest you. I don't think it should be treated like a joke." I said. I just happened to hear it mentioned at the Press Club. "I'd like to talk it over with you. Keyhoe? This is John Steele." Steele answered. I've been curious about the flying saucers ever since '45. They were some kind of circular gadgets." "I may be way off. but I didn't tell him so. the way some people in the Pentagon take it. I was in the European theater during the war." I waited. "There was an Intelligence report you might try to see--the Eighth Air Force files should have it.

Most of the facts were covered in a story dated July 6. But regardless of his motives. "Why." "Hell.
." said Jack." "It wouldn't be a tip--I don't know anything about this deal yet. anyway. "You ought to know I wouldn't leak any tip like that. he might be sincere." said Jack. If it was an attempt at a plant. and added. still wondering. Bill Shippen would have covered that. that was after I left there. and I went over the Star's file on the foo fighters. By the way. Arid who had told him about me? I thought about that for a minute. I copied it for later use: During the latter part of World War Two. Jack said he would meet me there at three o'clock." I told him I would look it up in the Star's morgue. and he'd heard about it from you. no. Could this be merely an attempt to pump me and get a lead on True's investigation? But that would be just as crude as the other idea. 34} "Jack. Then I picked up the phone and dialed Jack Daly's number. Of course. "I thought maybe you knew him. do you know anyone named John Steele?" I asked him. which had been inspired by the outbreak of the saucer scare." "Nobody I know. Jack was a little late. it was certainly crude. The mention of his former Air Force connection would be enough to arouse suspicion. it looked bad." One of the Air Force Intelligence men now assigned to check on the saucer scare was an officer who investigated statements of military airmen that circular foo fighters were seen over Europe and also on the bombing route to Japan. unless he counted on his apparent frankness to offset it. in the meantime he would see what he could find out about Steele. "I think he's a newspaperman. {p. Yanks dubbed these devices "foo fighters" or "Kraut fireballs. And what about the Press Club angle? That would indicate Steele was a newspaperman. fighter pilots in England were convinced that Hitler had a new secret weapon. I thanked him and hung up. when you were on the Star did you handle anything on 'foo fighters'?" "No.30 He gave it to me without apparent hesitation. what's up?" I explained. 1947.

I think he was a captain. unless the objects could have been imported for secret tests in this country. 35} saw about 15 following at a distance. at 300 m. even if they did fail to produce the bomb. People who know him say he's O. How could they control them that far away--and be sure they wouldn't crash. In Europe. "He does pieces for a small syndicate. There is no explanation of their appearance here." said Jack. I read the last paragraph twice. One foo fighter chased Lieutenant Meiers of Chicago some 20 miles down the Rhine Valley." said Jack. This looked like a strong lead to the answer. Later.K. war correspondent reported. crews of B-29'S on bombing runs to Japan reported seeing somewhat similar objects." "I still can't swallow it. "I got the dope on Steele.31 It was reported that Intelligence officers have never obtained satisfactory explanation of reports of flying silver balls and disks over Nazi-occupied Europe in the winter of 1944-45.P. in spite of the Air Force denials. less pleasant possibility. Jack Daly came in while I was reading the story again.--a straight shooter. Others appeared in precise formations and on one occasion a whole bomber crew {p. The Russians could have seized the device and developed it secretly. an A. He read it over and shook his head. Intelligence officers believed at that time that the balls might be radarcontrolled objects sent up to foul ignition systems or baffle Allied radar networks. where somebody could get a look and dope out the secret?"
." "If we got the principle--or Russia did-building big ones might not be too hard. if somebody told him it was the right thing to do. "These things have been seen all over the world. some foo fighters danced just off the Allied fighters' wingtips and played tag with them in power dives." "That still wouldn't keep him from giving me a fake tip." he said. Perhaps the Nazis had been close to an atomic engine. and I found out he was in the Air Force. There was another. using Nazi scientists to help them. "That's a lot different from disks three hundred feet in diameter. their strange glow flashing on and off.p. "but why would they want to plant this foo-fighter idea?" I showed him the clipping.h.." "Maybe not.

There was no use in banging my head against the Air Force wall. But I can't dig too hard. "I'll see what I can do. "Look.
. I couldn't believe any Air Force officer would give such an order." I said. so that Mantell and his pilots had been ordered to chase the disk by mistake. Don. "I don't make the rules." "How about a look at the Intelligence report?" I asked. But I was going to find out. I found a phone booth and called Splitt. The next day I decided to analyze the Mantell case from beginning to end. {p. 36} "I'd give a lot to know Steele's angle. I know--sorry. "Sure." On the way out. if possible." Jack nodded." I said. apparently. "Just checking angles. Unless there was some slip-up. then it would be cold murder." "Sure. it's classified. "If you hear anything more on him. I remember those stories. then he carne back. I was getting sore again. and they found nothing to back up the pilots' yarns. "Sorry. You think those are your flying saucers?" I could hear him snicker. why keep the lid on it?" I demanded." "If all this stuff is bunk. I had a notion to ask him if he knew John Steele." said Splitt. "Foo fighters?" he said. "Wait a minute. just war nerves." Splitt was gone for twice that time. but hung up instead. no matter how tremendous the secret to be hidden. give me a buzz. It looked like the key to one angle: the question of an Air Force secret missile." I said.32 We argued it back and forth without getting anywhere. or he'll hear about it. "Didn't the Eighth Air Force investigate the foo fighters?" "Yes.

I checked on the Godman Field tragedy. this same force had also destroyed his fighter.000 feet. despite his firm decision to end the chase at 20. 38} hypnotized Mantell into this fatal climb was.000 feet. One fact stood out at the start: The death of Mantell had had a profound effect on many in the Air Force. Meantime." Many ranking officers who had laughed at the saucer scare stopped scoffing. his pilotless plane climbed on up to some 30. Shallett quoted the Air Force investigators. since he carried no oxygen. the C. One report said that Mantell had been shot. the Air Force kept a tight-lipped silence. had simply disintegrated.000 feet. had covered up the truth by telling Mantell's family he had blacked out from lack of oxygen. his P51. 1949. Shallet. either the planet Venus or a Navy cosmic-ray research balloon. I found that this was the explanation given to Mantell's mother." For fifteen months. I knew they were both intelligent men--not the kind to be imagining things. then dived. General Smith told me: "It was the Mantell case that got me. at Godman. The Air Force Project "Saucer" report of April 27. makes these statements:
.000 and 10. in the Saturday Evening Post articles. Shallett said.O. A dozen times I was told: "I thought the saucers were a joke-until Mantell was killed chasing that thing at Fort Knox. Mantell was said to have climbed up to 25. released just after the first Post article. rumors began to spread. the rumors said. now Deputy Director of Air Force Public Relations. just after his death. she was told by Standiford Field officers that he had flown too high in chasing the strange object. Around 25. the P-51 began to disintegrate. his body riddled with bullets. I knew Tommy Mantell. The gleaming object that {p.000 feet.000. Another rumor reported Mantell as having been killed by some mysterious force. Later in my investigation. Between 20. Shallett suggested. Checking the last angle. described Project "Saucer's" reconstruction of the case. Mantell must have lost consciousness. also riddled.33
CHAPTER V
FOR MORE than two weeks. The Air Force. very well--also Colonel Hix. After this. One of these was General Sory Smith. obviously from excessive speed.

"It is still considered 'Unidentified. the chances of looking at just the right spot are very few. even though now denied. However. I had run onto the Venus explanation in other cases. In these first weeks of checking. "Subsequent investigation revealed that Mantell had probably blacked out at 20. A few minutes later. the two remaining planes returned to Godman. 39} Checking the astronomer's report.
. I read over the concluding statement: "It simply could not have been Venus. They must have been desperate even to suggest it in the first place. "The mysterious object which the flyer chased to his death was first identified as the Planet Venus. Since it has a peculiar bearing on the Mantell case. puzzled me. . when the planet was at peak brilliance. covering territory 100 miles to the south as high as 33. I am quoting it now: When Venus is at its greatest brilliance. {p. And for some unknown reason. I found official confirmation of this astronomer's opinions. Venus might be seen as an exceedingly tiny bright point of light. it is possible to see it during daytime when one knows exactly where to look. But on January 7. I knew of a few instances in World War II when bomber crews and antiaircraft gunners had loosed a few bursts at Venus. one resumed the search. But in the daytime cases this was almost ridiculous. Several Air Force officers repeated it so quickly that it had the sound of a stock alibi. It was plain that the Air Force had seriously considered offering it as the answer then abandoned it. in the secret Project "Saucer" report released December 30. to my knowledge. Since enemy planes did not carry lights. Venus was less than half as bright as its peak brilliance.000 feet. Apparently someone had got his signals mixed and let Shallett use the discarded answer.000 feet from lack of oxygen and had died of suffocation before the crash. . where plane or ground gunners actually believed Venus was an enemy aircraft. under exceptionally good atmospheric conditions. And more than one gunner later admitted firing to relieve long hours of boredom. the Air Force had found it imperative to deny the Venus story at once. However.' The Venus explanation. but found nothing. However. . But this was mostly at night. there was no authentic case. 1948.34 "Five minutes after Mantell disappeared from his formation. and with the eye shielded from direct rays of the sun. 1949." Months later. further probing showed the elevation and azimuth readings of Venus and the object at specified time intervals did not coincide.

At a set time. By this time the gas bag has swelled to full size. 2. With Venus eliminated. The sighting might have included two or more balloons (or aircraft) or they might have included Venus and balloons. and distances involved. In a routine flight. The instruments descend by parachute. It seems therefore much more probable that more than one object was involved.35 It has been unofficially reported that the object was a Navy cosmic-ray research balloon. any such device must have been a good many miles high--25 to 50--in order to have been seen clearly. However. Since I had been a balloon pilot before learning to fly planes. that so many separated persons should at that time have chanced on Venus in the daylight sky. If this can be established. The obvious determination to fit some explanation. heights. it Is to be preferred as an explanation. and the balloon. the latter explanation seems more likely. if one accepts the assumption that reports from various other localities refer to the same object. If all reports were of a single object. Few thought to check the speeds. almost simultaneously. The impossibility that Venus--a tiny point of light. rising quickly. 40} Two things stand out in his report: 1. in the knowledge of this investigator no man-made object could have been large enough and far enough away for the approximate simultaneous sightings. however. Cosmic-ray research balloons are not powered. {p. from places 175 miles apart. The gas bag is filled with only a small per cent of its helium capacity before the take-off.000 feet. explodes from the sudden expansion. they are set free to drift with the wind. to the Mantell sighting. seen only with difficulty--was the tremendous metallic object described by Mantell and seen by Godman Field officers. no matter how farfetched. about l00 feet high and 70 feet in diameter. This particular Navy type is released at a base near Minneapolis. this was fairly familiar ground. I went to work on the balloon theory. Shallett's alternate theory that Mantell had chased a Navy research balloon was widely repeated by readers unfamiliar with balloon operation. It is most unlikely. the balloon ascends rapidly to a very high altitude-as high as 100.
. a device releases the case of instruments under the balloon. For reasons given above.

The strange object had disappeared when Mantell's wingman searched the sky. Seen from 33. If it had been a balloon held stationary for an hour at a high altitude. But this failure to recognize a balloon would require incredibly poor vision on the part of trained observers--state police. it would have had to speed tip again to 180. Captain Mantell was a wartime pilot. the quick bursts of speed Mantell reported make it impossible. and glowing brightly enough to be seen through clouds. this might seem the answer to the Kentucky sightings. and it then remains relatively low. Colonel Hix and the other Godman officers watched the object with high-powered glasses for long periods. as seen from directly below.'s. 41} they could not fail to recognize a balloon during their thirty-minute chase. As the P-51's approached. Some witnesses might estimate its diameter as 250 feet or more. the Godman Field officers. But even if this angle is ignored it still could not possibly have been a balloon at low altitude. Mantell would have been closing in at 360. (I have several times chased balloons with a plane. At first glance. there is one final fact that nullifies the balloon explanation.) Drifting at a low altitude. Before its appearance over Godman Field.000 feet.h. it would then have had to come to a dead stop above Godman Field.p.36 Occasionally a balloon starts leaking. because of the clearer air. After traveling at this hurricane speed. overtaking them in seconds. the leaking balloon would have drifted. instead of its actual 70 feet. just after the leader's death. it would have been seen by several hundred thousand people. 42}
. His vision was perfect. To fly the go miles from Madisonville to Fort Knox in 30 minutes. (A leak large enough to bring it down from high altitude would have caused it to land and be found. the abrupt stop and hour-long hovering at Godman Field. It is incredible that they would not identify it as a balloon. the tail wind acting on his fighter would nullify the balloon's forward drift. The fast flight from Madisonville.P. If the balloon were low enough. But the mysterious object had completely vanished in {p. at a low altitude. it would have remained visible in the same general position. with over three thousand hours in the air. and so was that of his pilots. But even if you accept these improbable factors. it would loom up as a large circular object. a balloon would require a wind of 180 m. Mantell and his pilots. at the very least. In broad daylight {p. The three fighter pilots chased the mysterious object for half an hour.) In a straight chase. Many would have reported it as a balloon. He was trained to identify a distant enemy plane in a split second. it would have been even brighter. Army M. then to more than 360 to keep ahead of Mantell. over several hundred miles.

"that it exploded in those five minutes after Mantell's last report." I said. Checking on this angle.h. over Lockbourne Field could not have been a balloon. I pointed out these facts to one Air Force officer at the Pentagon." "Even so. This includes the thing seen at Lockbourne Air Force Base two hours after Mantell's death. I found: 1. Obviously. No instruments were returned to the Navy from this region. Next day he phoned me: "I figured it out." "It's an odd coincidence. It would also have continued to be seen at Godman Field and other points. 43}
. Even if there had been several balloons in this area (and there were not." he said. it would not explain the later January 7th reports--the simultaneous sightings mentioned by Professor Hynek in the Project "Saucer" report. it's obviously the answer. a balloon could not have escaped the pilot's eyes. And all balloons and instruments released at that time were fully accounted for. Since some explanation had to be given. Even if it had been a balloon. Whether at a high or low altitude. As a wartime pilot. the saucer seen flying at 500 m. In some cases. by official record). he was familiar with signs of anoxia (oxygen starvation). No one in the Kentucky area had reported a descending parachute. they could not have covered the courses reported. 2. That's why the pilot didn't see it. The timing device went off and the balloon exploded. No cosmic-ray research instrument case or parachute was found in the area. they would have been flying against the wind. this might seem a good answer. Then what was the mysterious object? And what killed Mantell? Both the Air Force and the Post articles speculate that Mantell carelessly let himself black out. But Mantell was known for coolheaded judgment. A search covering a hundred miles failed to reveal a trace.p. 3. at terrific speed. That he knew his tolerance for altitude is proved by his firmly declared {p. through occasional breaks in the clouds.37 those few minutes.

If it was some weird experimental craft or a guided missile. then I could see only one answer for the Godman Field incident: The thing was such a closely guarded secret that even Colonel Hix hadn't known. Several questioned that a P-51 starting a dive from 20. General Carl Touhy Spaatz. I talked with several pilots and aeronautical engineers.000 feet.38 intention to abandon the chase at 20." said one engineer. if the plane started down from twenty thousand. and a few have even landed themselves.
. narrowing of vision. had publicly insisted that no such weapon had been developed in his regime. From experience. it still does not explain what Mantell was chasing. had been equally emphatic. Secretary Symington and General Hoyt Vandenberg. though such an act was completely at odds with his character. "It looks like a cover-up to me. or spiral down. While investigating the Mantell case. or more likely they knocked him out of the air. the "blackout" explanation was accepted as plausible by many Americans." One of the pilot group put it more bluntly. yes. But if it were a secret device. They'd think he was trying to bring them down. then whose was it? Air Force officers had repeatedly told me they had no such device. he would recognize the first vague blurring. barging in like that. he recklessly climbed beyond the danger level. since he had no oxygen equipment. "If the idea was to explain it away. former Air Force chief. it is possible that. excited by the huge. the pilot wouldn't be too far blacked out. But a pilotless plane doesn't necessarily dive. That would mean that most or all Air Force Base C.000 feet would have disintegrated so thoroughly. Also. "From thirty thousand feet. Mantell had his altimeter to warn him.'s were also in ignorance of the secret device. The odds are he'd come to when he got into thicker air--admitting he did blur out. I think Mantell did just what he said he would--close in on the thing. Despite this. would it be tested so publicly that thousands would see it? If it were an Air Force device. official denials could be expected if it were a top-level secret." Even if you accept the blackout answer. But the identity of the thing remains--officially--a mystery.O. I think he either collided with it. I don't see why they're so positive Mantell died before he hit the ground--unless they know something we don't. I'd pick a high altitude to start from. which is only an Air Force guess. mysterious object. {p. Of course. as you know. and other signs of anoxia. 44} present Air Force chief. "It might slip off and spin.

Air Force officers. even if completely free of negligence. or repairs to remote-control apparatus. unless he'd got to be a dead-pan poker player since our earlier days. head of the Navy guided-missile program. it might crash. (Professor Hynek's analysis later confirmed this. 45} "Saucer" was a cover-up unit. It was incredible that they would develop such a device and then expose it to the gaze of U. Also. But if the device was American. Elizabethtown. make false explanations. So was Captain Delmer S. piloted or not. It could be photographed. His denial seemed genuine. it had got out of control. I was sure of one thing: This particular saucer had been real. In this event. Fahrney. There was one other explanation: The thing was not intended to be seen. If it were Air Force or Navy. and Lexington--over a distance of 175 miles. I can't believe he would let such a device. hover over an Air Force base with no warning to its C. its speed and maneuverability checked. the reported order for Air Force pilots to pursue the disks would have to be a fake. I saw Admiral Bolster. and I wasn't able to see him. it meant that Project {p. the Air Force would of course try to conceal the fact for fear of public hysteria. the service responsible would be blamed for Mantell's death. Admiral Calvin Bolster. If it were Russian.O. there would be a secret order telling them to avoid strange objects in the sky. By the time I finished my check-up. conscientious officer. But I knew him as a careful. I found that after Mantell's death it was reported simultaneously from Madisonville. the long hovering period at Godman Field was caused by the need for repairs inside the flying saucer. I was almost positive of one other point-that the thing had been over 30 miles high during part of its flight.39 Could it be a Navy experiment. chief of aeronautics research experimental craft. that would explain official concern. I was sure he was telling the truth. The only other alternate was Russia. missile-testing base in California. was an Annapolis classmate of mine. Fahrney was at Point Mugu. Instead. it would actually hush up reports.S. The secret might be lost in one such test flight. or antiaircraft fire might bring it down. While pretending to investigate. and safeguard the secret in every possible way.)
. kept secret from the Air Force? I did a little checking.

and for a report on the condition of Mantell's body. Steele accepted at once. If by any chance he was a plant. the former Intelligence captain. were still classified as secret. 46} we'd ordered. "I'm not working on the story--I'm tied up on other stuff. "When you mentioned the Press Club. also drew a blank. "I gathered you were in the business. When I phoned him to suggest luncheon. He seemed anxious to reassure me. Requests for pictures of the P-51 wreckage. though it still doesn't fit together." "Did it help you any?" "Yes. I remembered John Steele. I had heard that some photographs were taken of the Godman Field saucer from outside the tower. instead. there was no way to determine. But all the evidence pointed to a swift ascent after Mantell's last report." "Glad you did. with a crew haircut and the build of a football player." "Which one?"
. or at least one of them." "I'm afraid you thought I was fishing for a lead. Looking at him the first time. Steele was younger than I had expected-not over twenty-five. "You probably know I'm a syndicate writer?" I wondered if he'd found out Jack Daly was checking on him. he was almost solemn." I said." he said in a careful voice after {p. I expected a certain breeziness." I said. I called you that night on an impulse. I was told. I got a quick turn-down." Steele looked at me earnestly. Had Mantell told Godman Tower more than the Air Force admitted? I went back to the Pentagon and asked for a full transcript of the flight leader's radio messages. "I'd been worried for some time about the saucers. it would be interesting to suggest the various answers and watch his reaction." "Forget it. We met at the Occidental. Puzzling over the riddle.40 How low it had been while hovering over Godman. But I can tell you this: The saucers are real. But the Air Force denied knowledge of any such pictures. "I need every tip I can get. on Pennsylvania Avenue. The reports. and during Mantell's chase." I told him. "I owe you an apology. He was a tall man.

But there have been several hundred seen over here." "You said it was probably out of control. and Steele was silent until he left. "It would have to be huge to show up at all. To be that high in the sky. and still look more than two hundred and fifty feet in diameter." "There's something queer about this missile angle. And I happen to how they do." he said slowly. it must have been enormous." "They'd be pretty stupid to test it over here. If they found their controls were haywire." The waiter came with the soup. It must have been sighted at different times." Steele looked down at the roll he was buttering." "Oh. "I can't believe those reports are right. 47} hundred and seventy-five miles apart. It must be Russian. "That saucer was seen at the same time by people a {p." said Steele. Wasn't he chasing a balloon?" "The Air Force says it's still unidentified. maybe. how could they judge accurately?" "To be seen at points that far apart. that was an illusion." "That particular one. "They wouldn't have Air Force pilots alerted to chase the things." Steele didn't answer for a moment. they wouldn't keep testing the things until they'd corrected that." I told him what I had learned. "I can't believe it's ours. "I thought that case was fully explained." he finally answered. "Obviously.
." I said." "After what you've told me. "I'd discount those estimates. "I still can't believe it's our weapon." I let it drop. "Apparently you're right--it's either an American or a Soviet missile." I told him. before he died.41 "The thing Captain Mantell was chasing near Fort Knox." He shook his head. it had to be over thirty miles high." "Even Mantell's? And the Godman Field officers'?" "Not knowing the thing's height. that one.

they must not think much of my intelligence. But the Air Force and the Navy swear they haven't any such things. Even if it's not actual security. "You and True should consider your moral responsibility." He smiled ironically. 48} to use Steele. I tried to figure it out. it would be dangerous to print that story. I said I hadn't decided. even though we found absolute proof." I was almost sure now that he was a plant. no matter what you find. I planned a trip to the coast. If the Air Force was back of this. after a minute or two. During the rest of the luncheon. It might even be the key to the whole flying saucer riddle." Steele looked at me thoughtfully. He sounded almost too casual. Actually. it was still possible he was doing this on his own. "I realize that sounds peculiar.42 "What are you working on now?" Steele asked. True might force something into the open that would be better left secret. but Steele was through talking. he gave me a sober warning. Of course. The Godman Field affair must hold an important clue that I had overlooked. I was convinced now. He hoped to have us swallow the Soviet-missile answer. Thinking back.
. "If security was involved. But if it isn't Russian--though I still think it is--then we have nothing to worry about. then we would have to keep still. to interview pilots who had sighted flying disks. there may be reasons to keep still. his purpose was obvious. If we did. "What would you do if you found it wasn't a Soviet missile?" said Steele." After he left me. since I suggested the Russian angle. Obviously. Either way. "You know. I'd keep still. I recalled Steele's apparent attempt to dismiss the Mantell case. I tried to draw him out. When we parted. Or else they had been in such a hurry to get a line on True's investigation that they had no choice but {p.

he would not say. and it did the same. intending to pull tip if we got too close. One pilot told me he had been ordered to keep still about his experience--whether by the company or the Air Force. For three weeks I investigated sightings that had been reported by airline and private pilots and other competent witnesses. There was a glow along the side. "We were at about twelve thousand feet. One airline captain--I'll call him Blake--had encountered a saucer at night. when the thing zoomed. gleaming. in the moonlight. it had some kind of radar-responder unit to make it veer off when anything got near it. but we could see the moonlight reflecting from something like bright metal. the airline pilots were reluctant to talk. Blake hesitated. 50} I'd heard some "men from Mars" opinions about the saucers. I pulled up about three hundred feet. I flew to the Coast. He and his copilot had sighted the object. like some kind of light. But most of them finally agreed to talk. It matched every move I made. "If not. but this was an experienced pilot. if I kept their names out of print." "Then it must have been piloted." "Could you make out the shape?" I asked. It turned in the same direction.
." {p. Blake grinned crookedly." I asked him what he thought the saucer was. then he gave me a slow grin. It was gone in a few seconds. until the last one. "You don't believe that?" I said. my copilot thinks it was a space ship. when we saw this thing pacing us. The thing let out a burst of reddish flame and streaked up out of sight. half a mile to their left. At first." he said." I said. I needn't have worried.43
CHAPTER VI
SHORTLY after my talk with Steele. Most of them remembered the ridicule that had followed published accounts by other airline men. "You think we didn't try? I cut in toward it. or exhaust. He says no pilot here on earth could take that many G's. I opened my throttles and cut in fast. Finally. "Well. It didn't have any running lights.

Two. it's too ponderous. thinks. "Even if they do have some device to make them veer off. But I don't think that's the answer--I just listed it as a possibility. to put it over. Ken Purdy called in John DuBarry. True's aviation editor. I found two other pilots who had the same idea as Chuck." I had made up a list of possible answers. "Anyway. hysteria. And it wouldn't explain the world-wide sightings. my copilot. to give the rumors substance." he said. They'd {p. the saucers don't exist. "I think it's a risk. they're Russian guided missiles. his copilot thought they were Air Force or Navy." DuBarry considered this thoughtfully." "You mean a trick of ours?" said Purdy. then it must have been on a beam and remote-controlled. "I figure it was some new type of guided missile. They're caused by mistakes. they're American guided missiles. to hear the details. "Nobody's had a close call yet. "What do you think the saucers are?" asked DuBarry." Later.44 "No."
. "Sure." "John's right." a line pilot pointed out. Four. It would leak like a sieve. You'd have to have some kind of device. "but it leaves some queer gaps in the picture." I said." After I told them what I had learned Purdy nodded. to make the Soviets think we could reach them with a guided missile. Three. Captain Mantell wouldn't kill himself just to carry out an official hoax." When I left the Coast." "They've been flying around for two years. If it took as many G's as Chuck. and so on." said Purdy. a psychological-warfare trick. Purdy called him "John the Skeptic. I flew to New York. I met one airline official who was indignant about testing such missiles near the airways. There'll be hell to pay if one ever hits an airliner. One captain was afraid the flying saucers were Russian. the whole thing is a hoax. and I read it to them: "One. "In the first place. "They must be guided missiles." Blake said. maybe something launched from highflying bombers. so the disks would be reported often enough to get publicity. and the dumbest Soviet agent would see through it. I don't think there's much danger. Also. you'd have to bring thousands of people into the scheme. 51} certainly do a better job than this.

45 He looked back at my list. the possibility of intelligent life on the Planet Venus is not considered completely unreasonable by astronomers . "I just say it's possible. . Scientists concede that living organisms might develop in chemical environments which are strange to us . I'm enclosing sketches showing how he thinks the disks operate. "But I never took it seriously. "I know how you feel." DuBarry was watching me. He gave me a note from Sam Boal: "Just talked with D-------. And there's a rocket expert at Wright Field who's warned Project 'Saucer' that the things are interplanetary. "I didn't say I believed it. That's how it hit me when Ken first said it." "He's not the first one who told us that." "Maybe this will interest you." I said. "We've heard the same thing from other engineers. ." "You're kidding!" I said." I said. "as Steele first suggested. I told him my copy hadn't reached me. "Cross off Number One. (D------. the designer of a world-famous plane. . That's why I'm not writing it off. There's too much competent testimony.is a prominent aeronautical engineer." Purdy said." said Purdy. in the next fifty years we will almost certainly start exploring space . beside the obvious fact that something's being covered up. . the chance of
. ." "Have you read the Project 'Saucer' ideas on space travel?" DuBarry asked me. . the existence of intelligent life on Mars is not impossible but is completely unproven ." the note ran. 52} "'There has been speculation that the aerial phenomena might actually be some form of penetration from another planet ." said Purdy." "That leaves Russian or American missiles." "I've heard it before. . But there are some points that just won't fit the missile theory.) "He believes the disks may be interplanetary and that the Air Force knows it--or at least suspects it." "You've left out one answer. . Over a dozen airline pilots think they're coining from out in space. . . "What's that?" "Interplanetary. He read me some marked paragraphs in his copy of the preliminary report: {p." said Purdy.

But I think the Air Force is making a mistake. so they won't get scared.'" DuBarry handed me the report." he said. . "It might interest you to know. who had been working in the Southwest." The idea was still a difficult one for me to believe. "The Air Force may be hinting at that to hide the guided-missile secret. Purdy handed me a letter from an investigator named Hilton. The one can be viewed as almost a certainty ." "Yes. After what he said about 'moral responsibility' I'm sure he's planted. if that's what they're hiding. I told Purdy: "If he had the space thing in mind." Purdy said." I said. It could set off a panic that would make that Orson Welles thing look like a picnic.
. but he had learned some details from a pilot at Albuquerque. "that the Air Force checked all these old sightings too. but later on they deny the space thing." He asked DuBarry to give me their file of historic reports. "Here--I practically know it by heart. "but it's the only answer that explains all the sightings-especially those in the last century. ." I thought back to Steele's warning. Take it with you." "I know the space-travel idea sounds silly at first." John DuBarry came back with the file of old reports. You can send it back later. While John was getting it. "We'd have to handle it carefully-if it turned out to be the truth. 53} As I put the historic reports file in my brief case. maybe he's right.46 space travelers existing at planets attached to neighboring stars is very much greater than the chance of space-traveling Martians." {p. "Those space-travel suggestions might be a trick. Purdy went on: "Be careful about this man Steele." "Certainly it could. I skimmed over his letter. "It looks as if they're trying to put people on guard and then play it down. It could break the wrong way and be serious. Hilton had heard of some unusual night sightings in New Mexico. The story had been hushed up." said Purdy." said Purdy.

"That F. I've heard two reports that the F." I had a pretty good idea what the reaction would be. It must have been making close to nine hundred miles an hour. but all witnesses had agreed on its performance. Though the green glow was much brighter than a plane's running light. The cases concerned were 223." Purdy told me. "they seem to be worried about this group of sightings." said Purdy." the Albuquerque pilot told Hilton.--gag it up. they drew a blank. (This was later admitted in an obscure crossreference in the final Project "Saucer" report. 227.K.B. on December 8. If by any chance it's true.K."
. But all official answers to the strange green-light sightings had been carefully omitted.I. "But there weren't any jets near there. but that's as far as I can get. I'll go flag a space ship and be on my way.) {p. 54} "When you go back to Washington. it'll be the biggest story since the birth of Christ. is tied into the deal somehow. Again." Hilton commented.B. its upward motion shown by a bright green light. since no balloon could even approach the saucer's terrific ascent. men had been witnesses. and 231." The Air Force had also checked balloon release times--apparently just for the record. The thing had climbed at tremendous speed. business puzzles me.I. "I think they were trying to pin it on a jet fighter. Where would they come in?" I said I would try to find out. "From the way this was hushed up. 1948--just one month before Mantell was killed in Kentucky. 225. It was too dark to make out the shape behind the light. which will be discussed later." "O. 230.I. but I nodded. 226. 224. all plane schedules were carefully checked. "see what reaction you get to the interplanetary idea.B." "See if you can get any lead on that. "O. But it was almost four months before we learned the answer: The F. Anyway. the thing climbed too fast.47 One of these mysterious "flying lights" had been seen at Las Vegas. "But don't sell it short." said Purdy.

48

CHAPTER VII
IT WAS DARK when the airliner limousine reached La Guardia Field. I had intended taking an earlier plane, but DuBarry persuaded me to stay over for dinner. We dropped into the Algonquin, next door to True's office building. Halfway through dinner, I asked John what he thought of the space-travel answer. "Oh, it's possible," he said cautiously. "The time and space angles make it hard to take, but if we're planning to explore space within fifty years, there's no reason some other planet people couldn't do it. Of course, if they've been observing us for over a century, as those old sightings seem to indicate, they must be far ahead of us, at least in technical progress." Later on, he said thoughtfully, "Even though it's possible, I hate to think it's the answer. just imagine the impact on the world. We'd have to reorient our whole lives--and things are complicated enough already." Standing at the gate, waiting for my plane to be called, I thought over that angle. Assuming that space travel was the solution--which I still couldn't believe-what would be the effect on the world? It was a hard thing to picture. So much depended on the visitors from space. What would their purpose be? Would they be peaceful or hostile? Why had they been observing the earth so intensively in the past few years? I could think of a hundred questions. What would the space people be like? Would they be similar to men and women on earth, or some fearsome Buck Rogerish creatures who would terrify the average American--including myself? It was obvious they would be far superior to us in many ways. But their civilization might be entirely different. Evolution might have developed their minds, and possibly their bodies, along lines we couldn't even grasp. Perhaps we couldn't even communicate with them. What would be the net effect of making contact with beings from a distant planet? Would earthlings be terrified, {p. 56}

49 or, if it seemed a peaceful exploration, would we bc intrigued by the thought of a great adventure? It would depend entirely on the space visitors' motives, and how the world was prepared for such a revelation. The more I thought about it, the more fantastic thc thing seemed. And yet it hadn't been too long since airplane flight was considered an idiot's dream. This scene here at La Guardia would have seemed pure fantasy in 1900--thc huge Constellations and DC-6's; the double-decked Stratocruisers, sweeping in from all over the country; the big ships at Pan-American, taking off for points all over the globe. We'd come a long way in the forty-six years since the Wright brothers' first flight. But space travel! The gateman checked my ticket, and I went out to the Washington plane. It was a luxury ship, a fifty-two-passenger, four-engined DC-6, scheduled to be in the capital one hour after take-off. By morning this plane, the Aztec, would be in Mexico City. The couple going up the gangway ahead of me were in their late sixties. Fifty years ago, what would they have said if someone had predicted this flight? The answer to that was easy; at that time, high-school songbooks featured a well-known piece entitled "Darius Green and His Flying Machine." Darius, it seems, was a simple-minded lad who actually thought he could fly. Fifty years. That was the time the Air Force had estimated it would take us to start exploring space. Would Americans come to accept space travel as matter-of-factly as the people now boarding this plane? The youngsters would, probably; the older ones, as a rule, would be a little more cautious. In the oval lounge at the rear of the plane, I took out the file of old sighting reports. Glancing through it, I, saw excerpts from nineteenth-century astronomical and scientific journals and extracts from official gazettes. Most of the early sightings had been in Great Britain and on the Continent, with a few reports scattered around the world. The American reports did not begin until the latter part of the century. {p. 57} The DC-6 rolled out and took off. For a few minutes I watched the lights of Manhattan and Greater New York twinkling below. The Empire State Building tower was still above us, as the plane banked over the East River. We climbed quickly, and the familiar outline of Manhattan took shape like a map pinpointed with millions of lights.

50 Any large city seen from the air at night has a certain magic, New York most of all. Looking down, I thought: What would a spaceman think, seeing this brilliantly lighted city, the towering skyscrapers? Would other planets have such cities, or would it be something new and puzzling to a visitor from space? Turning back to the old reports, I skipped through until I found the American sightings. One of the first was an incident at Bonham, Texas, in the summer of 1873. It was broad daylight when a strange, fast-moving object appeared in the sky, southwest of the town. For a moment, the people of Bonham stared at the thing, not believing their eves. The only flying device then known was the drifting balloon. But this thing was tremendous, and speeding so fast its outlines were almost a blur. Terrified farmers dived under their wagons. Townspeople fled indoors. Only a few hardy souls remained in the streets. The mysterious object circled Bonham twice, then raced off to the cast and vanished. Descriptions of the strange machine varied from round or oval to cigar-shaped. (The details of the Bonham sighting were later confirmed for me by Frank Edwards, Mutual network newscaster, who investigated this case.) Twenty-four hours after the Bonham incident, a device of the same description appeared at Fort Scott, Kansas. Panic-stricken soldiers fled the parade ground as the thing flashed overhead. In a few seconds it disappeared, circling toward the north. Until now, I had supposed that the term "saucer" was original with Kenneth Arnold. Actually, the first to compare a flying object with a saucer was John Martin, a farmer who lived near Denison, Texas. The Denison Daily News of January 25, 1878, gives the following account: {p. 58} From Mr. John Martin, a farmer who lives some six miles south of this city, we learn the following strange story: Tuesday morning while out hunting, his attention was directed to a dark object high up in the southern sky. The peculiar shape and velocity with which the object seemed to approach riveted his attention and he strained his eves to discover its character. When first noticed, it appeared to be about the size of an orange, which continued to grow in size. After gazing at it for some time Mr. Martin became blind from long looking and left off viewing it for a time in order to rest his eyes. On resuming his view, the object was almost overhead and had increased considerably in size, and appeared to be going through space at wonderful speed. When directly over him it was about the size of a large saucer and was evidently at great height. Mr. Martin thought it resembled, as well as he

with some kind of tail. This was on August 1. a large. In the file. As described by the skipper. 1880. the reports were meager. Texas. page 64. It moved slowly across the sky. Some described mysterious lights in the sky. two strange objects fell into the sea near a Dutch barkentine. That same year. Sweet. Beginning in 870. D. On November 1." From 1762 to 1870. It was reported as elliptical. The account was published in the British Nature Magazine. and was visible about fifteen minutes. and it took almost thirty seconds to complete its passage of the moon. as evidence of space ships. The next report in the file mentioned briefly a strange round object seen in the skies over Bermuda. along with other early sightings.
. apparently at great height. telephone. On March 19.51 could judge. Mr. the one on August 9. Sighted just before sunrise. one of the objects was dark. Turkey. I recall that Charles Fort accepted this. if it was not a balloon. September 26. and it is also easier to check the sources. Germany. But unless the true height were known. comparison with an orange. or radio to spread news rapidly and start a flood of rumors. 1870. especially those from 1870 on. any estimate of size would be guesswork. which describes an odd. I saw a memo DuBarry had written: "I would take the very early reports with caution. 59} A sighting in Scotland could not be the cause of a similar one two days later in the south of France. On March 22. 1887. one point struck me. the weird apparition was seen moving across the sky. deserves the attention of our scientists. a balloon. spindle-shaped body traveling at high speed toward the sun. 1762. The source for this account was the Bermuda Royal Gazette. a few mentioned round objects seen in daylight. round body was sighted above Marseilles. In those days. This estimate is similar to the Denison. But this particular thing might have been a meteor--meteors as such were almost unknown then. Captain C. there was a series of reports that went on to the turn of the century. there was no telegraph. Observers described it as round and four to five times the size of the moon. The later reports are more convincing. Martin is a gentleman of undoubted veracity and this strange occurrence. they were described as rising from the horizon and moving from east to west. In the London Times. For instance. France. {p. the shipmaster was positive it was not a meteor. there was a description of a queer object that was seen crossing the moon. several brilliantly luminous objects were reported seen at Kattenau. an astronomer and other witnesses reported a gigantic aerial object at Adrianople. Volume 22. The glowing object fell with a loud roaring sound. This was in 1885. the other brightly luminous. The object would actually be huge to be seen at any great height. Then in 1871. Even though they were not so fully documented as later ones. It went as rapidly as it had come and was soon lost to sight in the heavenly skies.

S. a British admiral reported sighting a large disk with a projection like a tail. For almost ten minutes the aerial visitor circled the town. both England and Scotland buzzed with stories of triangular-shaped objects like those seen in the Dutch East Indies. a mysterious explosion occurred. about one hundred feet on the base and two hundred feet on the sides. disappeared from the Midwest. Louis and as far west as Colorado. the same object--or else a similar one--appeared over West Virginia. On April 16. sightings in the United States began to be more frequent. dazzling searchlights were pointing downward. On page 115 in the {p. Vermont. several large aerial bodies were sighted hovering over the Dutch East Indies. the aerial visitor was sighted around the Midwest. Those who went outside their homes saw a strange sight. 60} Most accounts described them as roughly triangular. In 1897. torpedo-shaped device circling above. Although many officials scoffed at the stories. But some observers thought they might be longer and narrower. more than one astronomer stuck to his belief that the mysterious things might be coming from outer space. according to reports of astronomers who watched it through telescopes. On July 2. the thing. a mysterious light had been seen above the Atlantic by crew members of the U. 1907.N. Some witnesses described a strange. U. an oval-shaped disk was reported speeding high overhead. sweeping the countryside. there was no one on earth who could have been responsible for them. and white lights were seen to flash in the sky.
. some thirty feet in diameter. then it swung eastward and vanished. this would make them agree with more recent stories of cone-shaped objects with rounded tops seen in American skies. in the heavens near Burlington. Several times. 1904. About two years after this.S. a huge cigarshaped device was seen in the Midwest. The next report was published in the U. On August 26. It was moving swiftly.S. {p. The report was attested by Lieutenant Frank H. Flying at a great height. as far south as St. For almost a week. And a year after this. Supply. The thing appeared to be about two hundred feet long. Early that morning the town of Sisterville was awakened by blasts of the sawmill whistle. Short wings projected from the sides of the object.S.52 In New Zealand. and evidently at high altitude. whatever it was. 1888. 61} March 1904 issue. with a rounded base. On February 24. some witnesses thought the crew of this strange craft might be trying to signal the earth. Since planes and dirigibles were then unknown. with stubby wings and red and green lights along the sides. Schofield. there is an account of an odd sighting at sea. 1894. One of the strangest reports describes an incident that began on April 9. Weather Bureau's monthly Weather Review. But on April 19. a year later. This was on May 4. green. From a torpedo-shaped object overhead. red.

When a dirigibleshaped object appeared over Huntington. Then it changed size. in 1905. one January morning. He called Roerich's attention to it. though an odd aerial object was sighted near the Galapagos Islands. head of the American-Roerich expedition into Tibet. appearing over Huntsville. obviously of huge size. B. had a remarkable experience that bears on the saucer riddle. the visitor rose in a steep climb. Roerich saw it was oval-shaped. then exploded. moving at great speed from north to south. Then in 1934. 1907. which swept back and forth across the countryside. the shadow remained in the same position. page 310.53 Shortly after it was seen. For some time after this. the object suddenly changed direction. Roerich describes the incident. West Virginia. from south to southwest. and quickly disappeared. 62} By 1919. luminous object flashed down from the sky. as if it had risen vertically." A strange shadow was noted on the clouds at Fort Worth. then they all saw something high in the sky.
. After a few moments. With careful understatement. shortly afterward. there were few authentic reports. It was gone in a few moments. Harris said. dirigibles were of course well known to most of the world. But in 1910. It made a second appearance over Chattanooga the next day. January 27. (Weather Review. The expedition party was in the wilds of Tibet one morning when a porter noticed the peculiar actions of a buzzard overhead. Like the one at Sisterville. Alabama. the thing sped away. Texas. In Popular Astronomy. It appeared to be caused by some large body hovering motionless above the clouds. There was no report for 1909 in America. Massachusetts. and the searchlights blinked out. Watching it through binoculars. on April 8. in July of that year. As nearly as he could tell. and reflecting the sun's rays like brightly polished metal. Number 4-599 {p. F. While he trailed it with his glasses. a Dr. A report on this was given in the Weather Bureau Review of that year. nor was it from any country possessing such craft. 1012. It was believed to be an American blimp. "I think a very interesting and curious phenomenon happened that night. though the darkness--it was eleven at night--prevented observers from being sure. a round. it was gigantic in size-though again there was no way to be sure of its distance from him or the moon. then headed east and was never seen again.) Another cigar-shaped craft was reported at a low altitude over Bridgewater. 3. there was no great alarm. Dr. it carried searchlights. diminishing. On pages 361 and 362 of his book Altai Himalaya. After about five minutes. 19. a large silvery cigar-shaped device startled Chattanooga. But a later check-up proved it was not an American ship. Harris described an intensely black object that he saw crossing the moon. As the cloud layer moved. Nicholas Roerich.

and go on to distant planets. television. I had been accustomed to thinking in comic-strip terms of any possible spacemen-Buck Rogers stuff. Unprepared. educated to this tremendous adventure. curiously disturbed. I stared out the plane window. In their eyes. But there was a difference now. intelligence. We could be educated. The lights of Philadelphia showed up ahead. But now. proved the only inhabited spot in the whole universe. we would be exploring space. bringing that higher race to the earth? If we were fully prepared. I had not really believed this could be the answer. But now the question came back sharply. My conjectures before the take-off had just been idle thinking. and the promise of still more miracles. Why should we believe such creative intelligence was limited to the earth? It would be incredible if the earth. if this lighted airliner had streaked over their heads? Madness. We would be faced with a race of beings {p. out of all the millions of planets. Those were the plain answers. if these sightings were true.
. and a thought struck me. It did not disturb my belief in our superiority. to accept space visitors. I had read of the plans. radio. that belief was shaken. and religion. When I had finished. supersonic planes. the shoe was on the other foot.54 This was the last sighting listed before World War II. For years. I could accept the idea that we would eventually explore space. But faced with this evidence of a superior race in the universe. with weird-looking space ships and green-faced Martians. It was a curious thing. In fifty years more. Like most people. Stampede. or at least partly prepared. Now. land on the moon. it might come off without trouble. for the first time in my life. I had grown up believing the earth was the center of everything--life. What would Philadelphians of 1776 have thought to see this DC-6 flying across their city at three hundred miles an hour? What would the sentries at Valley Forge have done. we would be thrown into panic. we might look like primitives. a year later. my mind rebelled. and I knew our engineers and scientists would somehow find a way. How would we react to a sudden appearance of space ships. 63} at least two hundred years ahead of our civilization--perhaps thousands. We had had modern miracles. In fifty years we had learned to fly.

and that their civilization would be practically abreast of ours. I discovered this sentence: "Thus. I read the spacetravel items. although visits from outer space are believed to be possible. they undoubtedly would someday visit the earth. But somehow I found a vague comfort in the argument. On page 18. Until we began to approach their level of civilization. it could be assumed that they have just recently succeeded in space travel. instinctively. If the Air Force or the Navy did have a secret missile. Searching further. what better way to distract attention? The old sighting reports could have been seized on as a buildup for space travel hints. or in some way caused them concern. in a discussion on Mars. they would probably see no reason for trying to make contact. the Air Force admitted it was almost a certainty that space travelers would be operating from planets outside the solar system. If the disks proved American guided missiles." There could be several answers to that. I found other space-travel comments. On one page. Even if it were a smoke screen. Looking through the Project "Saucer" report DuBarry had loaned me. I found this comment: "Reports of strange objects seen in the skies have been handed down through the generations. badly put together. This because they find it hard to believe that any technically established race would come here. but each time simply go way without ever establishing contact." What was the answer? Was this just a wandering discussion of possibilities. hoping to find some hint that this was a smoke screen. They. except in their sealed space ships. scientists believe that if Martians were now visiting the earth {p. . Eventually. or some other planet race. they are thought to be highly improbable. The Martians might not be able to live in our atmosphere. what of those old reports?
. But on the following page. we would make contact with races on other planets. I still fought against believing that the flying saucers were space ships. or was it a hint of the truth? it could be the first step in preparing America for a revelation. it would be an easier answer. This whole report might be designed to conceal a secret weapon. flaunt its ability in mysterious ways over the years. But if it could be put off .55 But. could have observed us periodically to check on our slow progress. . . It could also be a carefully thought-out trick. . 64} without establishing contact. Then suddenly it hit me. a problem for later generations to handle . However. full of holes though it was.

which Project "Saucer" admitted was more accurate than most witnesses' estimates. Either there were two answers. most Swedes believed that guided rockets were the answer. astronomers. Spain. and responsible public officials. after the Russians had taken over Peenemunde. explorers. I already knew. Some of it. ministers. Since they came from the direction of Germany. Mystery lights. about the foo fighters. or some nation had developed missiles with an incredibly long range. Some were said to double back and fly into Soviet areas. (The actual speed and altitude--the latter determined by a comparison of the balloon's height at {p. The first Swedish sightings had occurred during the early part of the war. merchant shipmasters. despite its high speed. During the summer of 1946. green. were simultaneously reported over Greece. there had been thousands of other witnesses. Instead. The first '47 case detailed by Project "Saucer" occurred at Richmond. This was tied in with the mystery rockets reported over Sweden. If I kept on checking I might find evidence that would bring a different explanation for the present saucers. where large groups had seen the objects.)
. the unpredictable effect upon our civilization. I didn't want to believe it. and orange. DuBarry had put another group of reports in the envelope. often blurred from their high speed. moving at tremendous speed. the Nazi missile test base. {p. the first disk report admitted by Project "Saucer" was in this same month. There was only one possible explanation. red. By January 1947. Oddly enough.56 They still remained to be answered. and even French Morocco. Turkey. ghost-rocket sightings in Europe had diminished to less than one a month. and sometimes flying disks. Most of the so-called "ghost rockets" were seen at night. and therefore none had been described as a flying disk. they were said to be colored lights. with all the changes it might bring. Portugal. 66} various times--have never been released. That meant discrediting many reliable witnesses--naval officers. ghost rockets again were reported flying over Sweden. But there was a puzzling complication. He swung the theodolite and managed to track the thing. 65} Besides all these. Virginia. The answer seemed inevitable. this series covered the World War II phase and on up to the outbreak of the saucer scare in the United States. Practically all were seen at night. unless you discarded the sightings as lies. A Richmond weather observer had released a balloon and was tracking it with a theodolite when a strange object crossed his field of vision. but I held it off. Nor has the Air Force released this observer's report on the object's size. blue. It was about the middle of April.

. which set off the saucer scare. Two days later. As I waited for a taxi. Since it was impossible to check up on most of the old sightings. It was a clear summer night. without a single cloud. When the DC-6 landed at Washington. The rest of the story I now knew almost by heart.57 About the seventeenth of May 1947. I can still remember thinking. maneuvering at an unbelievable speed. If it's true. Colorado. Beyond the low hill to the west I could see the stars. it was seen to change direction twice. Then on June 24 came Kenneth Arnold's famous report. an Oklahoma City pilot. In the short time it was observed. a huge oval-shaped saucer ten times longer than its diameter was sighted by Byron Savage. I would concentrate on certain recent reports-cases in which the objects had been described as space ships. I looked up at the sky. then the stars will never again seem the same. another fast-flying saucer was reported at Manitou Springs. I had made one decision.

But I kept thinking of the famous aircraft designer who thought the disks were space craft. Both men were known in Eastern as careful. with scattered clouds overhead. The airliner captain was Clarence S. Of course. in spite of the old reports. . at least they had shown no sign of hostility. Texas. when an Eastern Airlines DC-3 took off from Houston. at 2:45 A. moonlit night. Now that I recalled it. and he had a fairly close look. I went over the list of sightings since June 1947. If the disks were space ships. Chuck. There were several saucers that actually had been described as projectile-like ships. too. in the broad light of day.M. His first officer was John B. . it could have been self-defense. instead of his absent copilot. Blake had been more embarrassed than seemed called for when he told about Chuck. During the war. Chiles.500 flying hours. Blake's copilot. July 23. My mind was still reluctant to accept the space-travel answer. But the next instant both pilots saw that this was no jet fighter. Whatever it was. conservative pilots. It was 8:30 P. 1948. It was a bright. a wartime pilot on B-29's. The DC-3 was twenty miles west of Montgomery. It veered {p.58
CHAPTER VIII
NEXT MORNING. with the rank of lieutenant colonel. We veered to the left." Chiles said later. I saw then that it had no wings. In most cases. . and passed us about seven hundred feet to the right. Perhaps he had been the one who believed the saucers were space ships. He had 8. The most famous of all was the Eastern Airlines case. Whitted. the airline pilots Purdy had mentioned. on a flight to Atlanta and Boston. he had been in the Air Transport Command.M. but if he had been downed by some weapon on the disk. the idea of space visitors somehow had lost its menace.. when a brilliant projectile-like craft came hurtling along the airway. the saucers retreated at the first sign of pursuit. "exactly opposite to our course. it flashed down toward us at terrific speed.
. there was Mantell. "It was heading southwest.." The mystery ship passed on Whitted's side. Chiles saw it first and took it to be a jet plane. 68} sharply. After breakfast. so far as I knew.

"
. with a lighter color predominant around the outer edges.' "The Columbus man said he was too startled and the object moved too quickly for him to adjust his eyes to it. surprising. 'I was on the right side of the plane. but at their speed this was not." Chiles reported." Captain Chiles said the cabin appeared like a pilot compartment. its jet wash rocking our DC-three. McKelvie soon after he landed. It was very intense. "It was about twice the diameter of a B-twenty-nine. McKelvie. "Just as it went by. Ohio. and wingless. Clarence McKelvie of Columbus.. with no protruding fins. This passenger. McKelvie said.59 "The thing was about one hundred feet long. July 24 (AP) .' Mr." Both pilots said the flame extended thirty to fifty feet behind the ship. But one man confirmed that they were in their right senses. not like lightning or anything I had ever seen. There was a tremendous burst of flame from the rear.) "It ran the entire length of the fuselage--like a blue fluorescent light. and suddenly I saw this strange eerie streak out of my window. Chiles noted a snout like a radar pole. The exhaust was a red-orange flame. As it passed. interviewed Mr. and ran the following story: {p. said he was the only passenger on the EAL HoustonBoston plane who was not asleep when the phantom craft was sighted. except for its eerie brilliance. told them (and a Project "Saucer" team later) that he had seen a brilliant streak of light flash past his window. 69} "Kennett Square. The A." said Chiles. cigar-shaped. Most had been asleep or were drowsing. "the pilot pulled up as if he had seen the DC-three and wanted to avoid its. It had gone too swiftly for him to catch any details.P. Both he and Whitted agreed it was as bright as a magnesium flare. Clarence L." he described it. Both he and Whitted glimpsed two rows of windows. Pa. "'I saw no shape or form. (It was later suggested by engineers that the strange glare could have come from a power plant of unusual type. It zoomed into the clouds." Chiles's estimate of the mystery ship's speed was between five hundred and seven hundred miles an hour. Chiles went back into the cabin to check with the passengers. As the object vanished. assistant managing editor of the American Education Press. They saw no occupants. "An intense dark-blue glow came from the side of the ship.

they were highly respected pilots. Out in Santa Monica. "I'd sure like to see that.h. then chief of the Strategic Air Command. declared the Air Force had nothing remotely like the ship described. The ship was found to be within the bounds of aerodynamic laws for operations in our atmosphere.) Four days after the space-ship story was published. (The witnesses' description tallied with those of Chiles and Whitted. a strange flaming object came racing southward through the night skies over Robbins Field. The passenger's confirmation added weight. It ran as follows: "The Navy says that naval technicians have been testing a 3. If one went astray. the Air Force investigators could not get around the reports from Robbins Air Force Base. Air Force officials insisted they could shed no light on the mystery. at Macon. "I wish we did." (This supports Chiles's estimate of 500-700 m. at flying speeds in the sub-sonic range. a contact in Washington gave me an interesting tip. Observers at the air base were astounded to see what appeared to be a huge.) The mystery ship vanished swiftly." The publicized story of this "space ship" set off another scare--also the usual cracks about screwball pilots."
." Whether or not this was true. a Navy spokesman was quoted as hinting it might have been a high-atmosphere rocket gone astray from the proving grounds in New Mexico. But Chiles and Whitted were not screwballs. Here is the Air Force statement: "Application of the Prandtl theory of lift indicated that a fuselage of the dimensions reported by Chiles and Whitted could support a load comparable to the weight of an aircraft of this size. The brief report appeared on the editorial page of the Washington Star on July 28. Kenney. "Within forty-eight hours after that Eastern sighting. Air Force engineers rushed out blueprint plans and elevations of the 'space ship. General George C. Georgia. wingless craft streak overhead. trailing a varicolored exhaust. 1947. But even if all three had been considered deluded.000-mile-per-hour rocket in New Mexico.' based on what the two pilots told them. it could travel across our continent in a short time.p. all observers agreed that it disappeared from the line of sight just like a normal aircraft. Just about one hour before the DC-3 incident. While I was working on this case.60 In Washington. I found that the Air {p. 70} Force engineers did compute the probable speed and lift of the mystery craft." General Kenney told reporters.

it would certainly have caused wild confusion at White Sands until they found where it landed. the Air Force admitted that Project "Saucer" had failed to find the answer. rockets at White Sands are launched and controlled with utmost care. then circle around south of this city for over forty minutes. was not just a fugitive rocket. they reported that the mysterious object was no conventional aircraft. Even our latest jet bombers could not begin to approach its performance. 71} And if it had gone astray from White Sands. though none that I knew of had described projectile-like objects. There have been no reported cases of such a long-distance runaway. Alabama. Going back over the Project "Saucer" preliminary report." an Air Force officer told me. it seemed fairly certain there was more than one type of saucer. Other airline pilots had reported flying disks racing along the airways. the station's remote control would no longer be guiding it. and the report from Robbins Field agreed on this point. 1949. (If it had kept on at the speed observed at Robbins Field. No high-atmosphere test rocket has automatic controls such as this would require. if such a rocket had gone astray. as both pilots testified. Even without the Robbins Field confirmation. The more I studied the evidence. and McKelvie has a reputation for making careful statements. It was at Bethel. I found strong evidence that the Air Force was worried.61 At first glance I thought this might be the real answer to the Chiles-Whitted case.) In addition. But after a few minutes I saw it was almost impossible. something revolutionary. Project teams had screened 225 military and civilian flight schedules. when a huge black wingless craft
. Georgia. Hundreds of people would have known about it." The Chiles-Whitted "space ship" was not the first of this type to be reported. First. and then zoom into the clouds. "Both Chiles and Whitted are responsible pilots. it would have passed Montgomery long before the DC-3 reached the area. "But Wright Field is still working on it. the rocket would have had to veer sharply away from the airliner. the harder it was to believe that this was an earth-made ship. Third. Second. the story would be certain to leak out." then. no one could doubt that they saw something. Another wingless aircraft was sighted in August 1947. On April 27. developed in absolute secrecy. But it could be a new type of aircraft. Chiles and Whitted insisted the mystery ship was not a disk. The Eastern Airlines "space ship. Such a wingless rocket ship would require tremendous jet power to keep it in the air. by two pilots for an Alabama flying service. The "space ship" was officially listed as unidentified. just after sunset. Man-made devices or not. such a rocket would have had to travel from White Sands to Macon. In their investigation. {p. After nine months.

62 swept across their course. they attempted to follow. in the Philippine Islands. The Hague space-ship case was unexplained. like the thing they reported. Then I found a lead conforming that this was a foreign report. and later by witnesses on the ground. Analyzing this case. This double-decked. Silhouetted against the evening sky. It finally proved to be from The Hague. I verified another tip. the attempt to explain away this sighting was painfully evident. Mississippi. One wingless ship was supposed to have been seen three or four days before the ChilesWhitted sighting. or jet exhausts. the roar. wingless ship had been sighted on July 20.. the Air Force said: "If the facts are correct. Before the pilot could begin to close in. While working on this report. We had heard a rumor of a spaceship sighting at Clark Field. Possibly these were illusions. if really performed. they were quickly outdistanced. moving at fantastic speed. It was first seen by a former Air Force pilot and his passenger. Number 206. there is no astronomical explanation. Project "Saucer" listed the sighting as officially answered. On New Year's Day. motors. caused by seeing the object intermittently through clouds. Careful checking showed there were no {p. The pilots saw no wings. it loomed larger than a C54. (In the final Project "Saucer" report. A few points favor the daytime meteor hypothesis--snow-white color. 72} other planes nearby that could have been mistaken for this strange craft. Witnesses had reported it at a high altitude. it swiftly disappeared. Besides these two cases. I talked with two officials in the Civil Aeronautics Administration. turns of 180 degrees or more.h. similarity to sky-writing and the time of day. 1948. the odd wingless ship pulled away. But the tactics. Swinging in behind the mystery ship.h. oppose it strenuously: the maneuvers in and out of cloud banks. One of these was Charley Planck.p. speed faster than a jet. The impression of a fuselage with windows could even more easily have been a sign of imagination. Speeding up from 200 to 500 m. 73} In following up the Jackson and Bethel reports. who handled public
. 1948--four days before the Eastern case. Although I didn't learn the date. I found that there was such a record. the unidentified craft was a double-decked "space ship" but moving at even higher speed. I had the tips Purdy had given me.p. At first I ran into a stone wall trying to check this story. The tip had been right. But at their speed of 170 m. already on record.) {p." (With this conjecture. a similar rocket-shaped object was sighted at Jackson.

I knew Steve fairly well. One was up in Canada. and I saw him now and then at airports around Washington." "What did they find out?" said Charley Planck. "If I thought so.A. We were both pilots with service training. 74} "You think the saucers are guided missiles?" I said.A. "What sold you?" I asked.A." I had a hunch he was holding back. our paths had crossed during the war. "I don't know all the answers. The thing was climbing so fast no one believed the radarmen at first. and it might be used in some way with guided missiles. {p. "I think it's more likely the companies--with or without a nudge from the Air Force. and I think a Navy destroyer tracked a saucer up in the North Atlantic." "If the C. Because the lead he gave me was off the record. "The way Americans fall for a gag! Even the Air Force has got the jitters. "You know anything about it?" "You mean ordered by the Air Force or the companies?" he said. I wouldn't be talking." So I was a little surprised to find he now thought the disks were real. an official from another agency came in.A." he snorted. the things can go like hell. One was in Japan. it's a top-level deal." While we were talking. Steve. Steve shrugged. I found that the pilots concerned had good records. I'll call him Steve Barrett. "That's not a dig at you. "Charley. "The Air Force and the C. I waited until he had finished with Charley.A. "The radar reports." he said flatly. There was a case in New Mexico. Steve had been disgusted. and then went.A. Then they got some more reports. there's a rumor that airline pilots have been ordered not to talk. Whatever they are. "I know of half a dozen cases where they've tracked the things." "I didn't know that. men who knew them discounted the hoax theory." said Steve.'s in on it. down the hall with him." I told Planck."
. But I was cleared last year for some secret electronics work. "Damn fools trying to get publicity." said Charley.63 relations. When the saucer scare first broke. C.

deadly serious. "He told me they are now teaching that the saucers are probably space ships." said Steve." "Six months ago.K. I just can't see a guided missile five hundred feet in diameter. Maybe few of the things sighted out in the Southwest have beer our test rockets. "Unless the radar boys are way off." "I'd already heard about a radar case in Labrador." "You believe it. where there's not much resistance." The elevator door opened. Those saucers were tracked about fifty miles up. "They're in good company." He stopped for a moment. but I've been told they hit more than ten thousand miles an hour. He looked at me quickly. but it's not as crazy as it sounds. "There's one other thing that gets me..64 "It's O." he said. but that doesn't explain the radar reports in Canada and Japan. "I haven't bought it yet. Steve waited until we were outside of the Commerce Building. "They've had some trouble tracking the things. "It sounds crazy.?" "Well. "You know the Air Institute?" "Sure--the Air Force school down at Montgomery." he said. they maneuver so fast. "I suppose this will sound screwy to you--" "You think they're interplanetary." said Steve. "I don't mind talking." Without mentioning names. I told him about the aircraft designer and the airline pilots. some of those saucers are enormous." I said. because can't believe the saucers are guided missiles. "Where'd you pick that up."
." Steve looked at me." I said. it's not impossible. Steve was quickly on the defensive." "True passed it on to me." I told Steve. I was talking with an officer who'd been instructing there.

And I was fairly sure he believed the Air Institute story. I was turned down. Art Green was a little older. with a pleasant. Green was working for an air charter service We met at the Palmer House. As I expected. a wartime instructor. I hoped to know the truth about Project "Saucer. Pete was about thirty-one. By the time I returned. or perhaps several. Art Green. I had called the Pentagon again and asked to talk with some of the Project officers. quizzed by Project teams. I saw the pilots first. he {p. a Midwesterner I already knew. intelligent face. a lean. he had been thoroughly grilled by a Project "Saucer" team. sunburned. Steve wasn't easily taken in." After reporting a disk. Whichever it was. I had several leads. I'll call Pete Farrell. I thought of what Steve had told me." As the ship droned westward. If it were possible to get an inside look at Project "Saucer" operations. believed the saucers were space craft and aired their personal opinions. My first stop was Chicago. seen during a West Coast Right.
. secrecy still hid it. a new phase of the saucer investigation. It was more likely that one Institute officer. The only alternative was to dig out the story by talking with pilots and others who had been. stocky. and True had arranged some interviews for me. the wall of official. But I wasn't so certain the story itself was true. Art Green didn't need much prompting to talk about Project "Saucer. It would hardly be a gag. fourteen thousand feet above the Alleghenies. restless man with an emphatic voice. Pete had served with the Air Force during the war. that he had told me about the radar tracking. As a formality. starting. Since they both talked in confidence. I believed. 76} was now part owner of a flying school. One. where I met an airline official and two commercial pilots. The Institute wasn't likely to give an official answer to something that Project "Saucer" still declared unsolved. also a pilot in the Air National Guard. I will not use their right names. the other.65
CHAPTER IX
THREE DAYS after my meeting with Steve Barrett. I could soon tell whether it was an actual investigation or a deliberate cover-up for something else. blue-eyed. I was on a Mainliner 300.

fast-moving "light" over Fargo Airport in the fall of 1948." Pete Farrell hadn't encountered any Project "Saucer" teams personally. was a fighter pilot in the North Dakota Air National Guard. "That case is on my list. it was their job to screen out the crackpots. "I can tell you one thing." Pete said.B." "What about trying to bring one down? I've heard that was in one order. you'd think I committed a murder. Some of 'em are figured out to trip up anybody faking a story. we were to do our damnedest to identify it. "But I don't remember anything about a courtmartial. "Guard pilots got the same order as the Air Force. They went around to my boss. I told them to go to the devil--I knew what I saw. If we saw anything peculiar flying around. people in my neighborhood--even the pilots in my outfit." said Art Green.66 "They practically took me apart. they didn't let on. I wouldn't report another saucer if one flew through my cockpit. The other guy-I think he was Air Force Intelligence--acted decent. But I'm still in the {p. had checked up on me to find out if I was a liar or a screwball. He had a mystifying encounter with a strange." he said irritably."
.I. I told you that much because it's been in the papers. Two of 'em acted as if they thought I was nuts." I told Green. Some of the information had come from commercial and private pilots in the Midwest. "If they did. or maybe a plane. blew out the match. 77} Guard. part of it through National Guard contacts. Gorman. "They've got a lot of trick questions. I found out later the F. I've got enough sense to tell a ship or a balloon when I see it. I can't tell you the order itself." Pete hesitated for a second. After seventeen years. My outfit's still razzing me. "And on top of that. He lit a cigarette. with the sun shining on it when it banked. The way they worked on me. "Look. but he had some interesting angles." "Well. but the court-martial thing was new to me." "Did they believe you?" I asked him. "Then they tried to sell me on the idea I'd seen a balloon." I'd heard of the Gorman case. I recalled. "Why don't you look into the Gorman case? Get thc dope on that court-martial angle. I'm not in the Guard. He said not to get steamed up about the Aero-Medical boys. It was confidential.

"You know how those things build up. But most of the pilots know what happened to Captain Emil Smith. "It's kind of hard to believe. it must have been pretty big. It was hushed up too fast. just tell me." said Green." That evening I talked with the airline official. Gorman said something about trying to ram the thing. Also the airlines don't like their pilots to talk for publication." I reminded him. Fm trying to find out whether Project 'Saucer' has muzzled airline pilots.67 "It wasn't in the papers. he had seen just one disk. "Dick." "You know what they said about the Mantell saucer. gleaming in the sun. on United. "But they couldn't tell me anything. if you're under orders not to talk." Pete told me later that Green believed the disk had been at least twenty miles high." said Pete. Green double-checked my report on his sighting. If his family hadn't had some influence in the state. because it was well above clouds at thirty thousand feet. "Or ask some of the pilots at Fargo." he said. it got into the papers and Gorman almost got courtmartialed. Anyway. 78} "You know any Kentucky National Guard pilots?" I asked. As in the majority of cases. I put it to him bluntly. It had hovered at a very high altitude. and the speed over two thousand miles an hour. "One or two. In his report. "I couldn't tell its size or speed. But all the pilots up that way know about it." "Ask Gorman." Before I left them. in a few cases." said Pete. whom I knew well enough to call by his first name. {p." said Pete. the Air Force probably would have pushed it." "Are you sure about this?" I said." "You mean the ones who've sighted things? Perhaps. "Some of the Godman Field people said it was at least three hundred feet in diameter." "I've heard it was twice that. and those Eastern pilots. The idea got around that Air Force orders had said to try this."
. "But if it was as high as I think. which Hilton had forwarded. then had suddenly accelerated and raced off to the north. They keep still so they won't be laughed at. "The thing would have to be a lot bigger than a Btwenty-nine.

if it's not too hot." "Sure. They've been sighted on the Seattle-Alaska route." He made a gesture. gets word to the Air Force. I know of several saucers that pilots have seen between Honolulu and the mainland. 79} "What do your pilots think the saucers are?" Dick gave me a slightly ironic grin. "We're not going to quote actual names or sources.K. O. I know that." "What happens to those reports?" "They go to Operations. "where Air Force Intelligence is supposed to have warned pilots to keep mum." I said. Although I was chiefly trying to find out about Project "Saucer. "But a couple of pilots talked to me later. "but I'm positive of one thing. "Of course. Dick said he hadn't.
. the pilot may radio the tower before he lands." I asked him if he had ever been in on one of thee sessions. Then the C. unless people. it." {p. if something really important happens. Either the Air Force is sitting on a big secret." said Dick. too. they'd come from Wright Field--regular Project 'Saucer' teams. and they rush some Intelligence officers to quiz the pilots. Two of the reports come pretty straight. and between Anchorage and Japan. They said these Air Force men seemed quite upset about it.A." said Dick." said Dick. Otherwise. because they haven't seen any. A few--a very few--still think it's all nonsense. Check with Pan-American--you'll find their pilots have seen them. or they're badly scared because they don't know the answer. "But you've got thc answer already. "That could be." During the next week or so. "Why ask me? Captain Blake says you've been getting it firsthand." "What do you think?" "I don't know the answer. they'd send the nearest Intelligence officers to take over temporarily. they pounced on everything these boys said about the thing's appearance-how it maneuvered and so on." "I wasn't pulling a fast one." I protested. Some pilots say interplanetary.68 "I've heard of several cases. I covered several northwest and mountain states.A. some say guided missiles. I'm not denying that airline pilots--and that includes ours--see these things all the time." I ran onto two sightings that were not on my list.

"It was like two round mirrors whirling around the sky. the mysterious light abruptly shot skyward. There was one interesting difference from the usual description. or else its gleaming surface somehow reflected the sky because of the angle of vision." The second incident occurred at Salmon Dam. Idaho. astonished. or reports later on?" "Some major who didn't see it said it must have been {p. it reached an altitude of twenty thousand feet and vanished. at a height of a thousand feet. it sounded familiar. that same day. Idaho. "It looked just like I said--a ball of light. This disk was sky-blue. going like a streak." he replied. 1947. Although it was not close to the treetops." "Did it leave any smoke behind it?" "You mean like an engine. or a jet?" He shook his head. "Was there any shape outlined behind the light?" I asked the Seattle man. two brightly gleaming disks were circling at high speed. In an incredibly short time. At Salmon Dam. the disk was sighted by observers in a canyon.69 One of these had occurred in California. as though the air was boiling from the object's swift passage. At times the gusts reached almost seventy miles an hour. As the men on the base watched it. on August 13." one of the men was later quoted as saying. at Fairfield Suisan Air Force Base. not round like that. "They couldn't have been any ordinary planes. A Seattle man who had been stationed there gave me the details. with unusually high winds sweeping across the airfield. 80} a balloon. Suddenly a weird ball of light flashed into view. the thing was going against the wind. Several miles away. No balloon ever went up that fast--and besides. And they were going too fast. the observers were amazed to see the trees whip violently when the disk raced overhead." "Did you hear any guesses about it. two miners heard an odd roaring sound and stared into the sky."
. Anybody with brains could see that was screwy. I checked my sightings file and saw it was the same day as the strange affair at Twin Falls. "Not a thing. In the Twin Falls case. And it didn't make a sound--even when it shot up like that. When I heard the date. "Nobody saw any. It was on the night of December 1918.

My inquiries drew blank looks. Maybe a magnifying glass would bring it out." At my surprised look. When it plunged toward the lake. No one remembered such a photograph. Maybe it wasn't a disk." he told me. and if so whether I could see it.
The rest of my interviews during this 1949 trip helped to round out my picture of Project "Saucer" operations. Months later. he was so startled that he failed to snap the picture until the moment it struck. a few flatly refused. The lone witness was said to have rushed over to his car to get his camera as the disk approached." I said. I was talking to an Air Force officer about this lake thing. I also was told that one saucer had fallen into a mountain lake.70 During this part of my trip. I thought he had fallen for a gag. he added. I asked at the Pentagon if this picture was in the Wright Field files. {p. "And I happen to know the fellow who took the picture. Though one or two witnesses showed resentment at investigators' methods. at the Pentagon. And even if it were in the Project "Saucer" files. When he first related it. This story sounded so flimsy that I didn't bother to list it. This was more than two months after Project "Saucer" had been officially closed and its secrets presumably all revealed. but something fell into that lake. One man had been checked first by
." It was early in 1950 when he told me this. This came to me secondhand. I couldn't see it." "What did it look like?" "You couldn't tell much about it-just a big splash and a blur where something went under." "Did you see the picture?" "Yes. and he showed me the picture. 81} "That was long before they clamped down. I found no proof of official pressure. most of them seemed more annoyed at the loss of time involved. a Washington newsman confirmed at least part of the lake story. Some witnesses seemed afraid to talk. but I frequently had the feeling that strong hints had been dropped. but I didn't get a chance to try it. "Don't tell me you believe it?" "I come from Idaho. "I heard that yarn.

But suppose that the real mission of Project "Saucer" was to cover up something. I learned of one pilot who had been {p. It could be just an unfortunate choice of words. But 'Saucer' men point out that the movement could be explained away as an optical illusion or actual acceleration of the balloon caused by a gas leak and later exaggerated by observers." On page 22 I ran onto another use of the phrase: "The obvious explanation for most of the spherical-shaped objects reported. however.71 the police. I called up the airport and had them check on release schedules. I went through the report line by line." Suddenly a familiar phrase caught my eye. I read over the paragraph again: "Preliminary study of the more than 240 domestic and thirty foreign incidents by AstroPhysicist Hynek indicates that an over-all total of about 30% can probably be explained away as astronomical phenomena.I. .B. then by the sheriff's office." Explained away. is that they are meteorological or similar type balloons. or perhaps a cluster of balloons. They said next day it didn't fit any schedules around this area. ." Other witnesses told me that investigators had suggested birds." Explained away . as already mentioned. shooting stars. 82} startled by seeing a group of disks racing past his plane. had made a character check. . "One Intelligence captain tried to tell me I'd seen a weather balloon. because the thing I saw was cutting into the wind at a forty-five-degree angle. There are scores of possible explanations for the scores of different type sightings reported. On page 17 I found this: "Available preliminary reports now indicate that a great number of sightings can be explained away as ordinary occurrences which have been misrepresented as a result of human errors. What he told me about the Air Force interrogation confirmed one of Art Green's statements. . It might not mean anything. does not explain reports that they travel at high speed or maneuver rapidly. returning the next day. I reread all the information the Air Force had released on Project "Saucer. Air Force investigators later suggested that he had flown through a flock of birds. On the flight back to Washington. an Air Force team had spent hours questioning him. This. and starshells as probable explanations of what they had seen. Anyway. meteors.
. . reflections on clouds. the wind wasn't right. and finally the F.

since. Andrews Field. The order creating Project "Saucer" was signed on December 30. 1948. I have followed their usage of "Saucer" in its place. 83} "Explaining away" would be one of the main purposes of Project personnel. "You may be dreaming up this whole thing. also a prominent scientist (still unidentified). the project officially began operations. if necessary. the use of those familiar words might have been overlooked.) Project "Saucer" was set up under the Air Materiel Command at Wright Field. at the same time covering it up. 1947." I said to myself. Weather Bureau. Then I went back once more and read the items quoted above. Contracts were made with an astrophysicist (Professor Joseph Hynek)." Trying to get back to a neutral viewpoint. (The actual code name was not "Saucer. (Preliminary investigation at Godman Field had been done by local Intelligence officers. I fixed the idea firmly in mind that Project "Saucer" was a cover-up unit. Cambridge Field Station. S.72 Or that its purpose was to investigate something serious. If the report had been thrown together hastily. "Now. would check on reports and simultaneously try to divert attention from the truth. two weeks after Captain Mantell's death. It was as though I were reading confidential suggestions for diverting attention and explaining away the sightings. they would undoubtedly would be used in secret official papers.C. the Electronics Laboratory. they would appear harmless. the U. as described in the report. wait a minute. Arrangements were made for services by the Air Weather Service. analysts and Intelligence officers would go over the general picture and try to work up plausible explanations. suggestions made by Project members and probably circulated for comment. and so could the report's strange contradictions. 84}
." but since for some reason the Air Force still has not published the name. {p.) On January 22. These words would probably be used in discussions of ways and means.M. Back at Wright Field. Aero-Medical Laboratory. then. The Project "Saucer" teams. read casually. could even be published. the Army {p. And since this published preliminary report had been made up from censored secret files. As an experiment. suggesting various answers to explain the sightings. The effect was almost startling. and a group of evaluation experts (Rand Corporation). I skimmed through the other details of Project operations. the A. step by step. which. the use of these telltale words could be easily understood.

the F. maneuvers. highly trained evaluation teams take over. But the mere existence of some yet unidentified flying objects necessitates a constant vigilance on the part of Project "Saucer" personnel and the civilian population. to conventional aerial objects. the Department of Commerce.B. and many others. length of time in sight. In each case.C.M. atmospheric sounding balloon launchings. the flying objects are divided into four groups: Flying disks.." Actually. flights of migratory birds and a myriad of other considerations which might furnish explanations. scientific business of constant investigation. sound. and various other government and private agencies. Investigation is greatly stepped up when observers report incidents as soon as possible to the nearest military installation or to Headquarters. speed. In addition. location. the services of rocket experts. direct.73 and Navy Departments. Civil Aeronautics Administration. together with any fragments. A standard questionnaire is filled out under the guidance of interrogators. 85} activity. are carefully noted.C. analysis and evaluation which thus far has yielded evidence pointing to the conclusion that much of the saucer scare is no scare at all." the Project "Saucer" report says: But the hoaxes and crank letters in reality play a small part in Project "Saucer. Duplicate copies on each incident arc sent to other investigating agencies. A. time.. etc. guided-missile authorities. and others (in the defense services or assigned to them) were made available as desired. drawings. Here. The information is broken down and filed on summary sheets.I. etc. This information is sent in its entirety. approximate altitude. A. it is a serious.. to Headquarters. space-travel planners. The first three groups are capable of flight by aerodynamic or aerostatic means and can be propelled and controlled by methods known to aeronautical engineers. including technical labs within the Air Materiel Command. soil photographs. Generally. giving an easily comprehended over-all picture.
. plotted on maps and graphs and integrated with the rest of the material. torpedo or cigar-shaped bodies with no wings or fins visible in flight. size and shape of object. color. commercial and military aircraft flights. spherical or balloon-shaped objects and balls of light.. Under the heading "How Incidents Are Investigated. but can be attributed to astronomical phenomena. weather. to hallucinations and to mass psychology. These are studied in relation to many factors such as guided missile research {p.M.

a paragraph summed tip the report. All but the "testing devices. etc. True. Testing devices. They would be part of the cover-up plan.C. I was certain that Project "Saucer" was trying hard to explain away the sightings and hide the real answer. a psychological analysis is being made by A. I strongly doubted the answer suggested. is a young one-much of its investigation is still under way. If the answer was space travel. then such hints made sense. It would do no harm to use this as one of the "myriad explanations" for the flying saucers. Balloons. The project." What did they mean by that? It could be a hint at guided missiles." Instead. Neither are they cause for alarm to the population. {p. By now. I had found out how they operated--outside of Wright Field. Available preliminary reports now indicate that a great number can be explained away as ordinary occurrences which have been misrepresented as a result of these human errors.
. Birds in flight. they had already mentioned guided-missile research activity in another spot. Near the end of the last page. Some of the incidents had been enlightening. Many of the incidents already have answers. I was still trying to figure it out when my plane let down for the landing at Washington. Eventually. 86} they would hardly be hinting at it.'s AeroMedical laboratory to determine what percentage of incidents are probably based on errors of the human mind and senses. reports are sent back to Project "Saucer" headquarters. "The 'Saucers' are not a joke. often marking incidents closed. their actions--unless they were suspended from a higher object or were the product of hallucination--remain unexplained. however. Meteors. Currently.74 As for the lights. Some of them still end in question marks. Falling stars." From what I had learned on this trip. it was a deeper mystery than ever.M. But if that was what lay behind this elaborate project. Everyone--including the Soviet Union-knew we were working on guided missiles. I had hoped by this time to know the truth about Project "Saucer.

75

CHAPTER X
WHEN I reached home, I found a brief letter from Ken Purdy. Dear Don: The Mantell and Eastern cases both look good. I don't see how they can brush them off. It looks more like the interplanetary answer to me, but we won't decide on treatment until we're sure. [I had suggested two or three angles, if this proved the real answer.] Who would be the best authority to check our disk operation theory and give us more details on directional control? I'd like to have it checked by two more engineers. KEN Next day, I dug out my copy of Boal's interview with D------, the famous aircraft designer. "Certainly the flying saucers are possible," the designer had told Boal. "Give me enough money and I'll build you one. It might have to be a model because the fuel would be a problem. If the saucers that have been seen came from other worlds, which isn't at all Buck Rogerish, they may be powered with atomic energy or by the energy that produces cosmic rays--which is many times more powerful--or by some other fuel or natural force that our research hasn't yet discovered. But the circular airfoil is quite feasible. "It wouldn't have the stability of the conventional airplane, but it would have enormous maneuverability--it could rise vertically, hover, descend vertically, and fly at extremely high speed, with the proper power. Don't take my word for it. Check with other engineers." Before looking up a private engineer I had in mind, I went to the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics. The N.A.C.A. {the predecessor of NASA--jbh} is America's most authoritative source of aerodynamic knowledge. I knew they had already tried {p. 88} out disk-shaped airfoils, and I asked about this first. I found that two official N.A.C.A. reports, Technical Note 539 and Report 431, discuss tests on circular and elliptical Clark Y airfoils. Both reports state that these designs were found practical. Later, I talked with one of the top engineers in the N.A.C.A. Without showing him D------'s sketch, I asked how a disk might operate.

76 "It could be built with variable-direction jet or rocket nozzles," be said. "The nozzles would be placed around the rim, and by changing their direction the disk could be made to rise and descend vertically. It could hover, fly straight ahead, and make sharp turns. "Its direction and velocity would be governed by the number of nozzles operating, the power applied, and the angle at which they were tilted. They could be pointed toward the ground, rearward, in a lateral direction, or in various combinations. "A disk flying level, straight ahead, could be turned swiftly to right or left by shifting the angles of the nozzles or cutting off power from part of the group. This method of control would operate in the earth's atmosphere and also, using rocket power, in free space, where conventional controls would be useless." The method he had described was not the one which D------ had outlined. "What about a rotating disk?" I asked the N.A.C.A. man. "Suppose you had one with a stationary center, and a large circular section rotating around it? The rotating part would have a camber built into it, or it would have slotted vanes." He gave me a curious look, "Where'd you get that idea about the camber?" I told him it had come to me from True. "It could be done," he said. "The slotted-vanes method has already been tried. There's an engineer in Glendale, California, who's built a model. His name's E. W. Kay." He gave me a few details on how a cambered or slotted-vane rotating disk might operate, then interrupted himself to ask me what I thought the saucers were. {p. 89} "They're either interplanetary or some secret development," I said. 'What do you think?" "The N.A.C.A. has no proof they even exist," he answered. When I left the building a few minutes later, I was still weighing that statement. If the Air Force or the Navy had a secret disk device, the N.A.C.A. would almost certainly know about it. The chances were that any disk-shaped missile or new type of circular aircraft would first have been tested in the N.A.C.A. wind tunnels at Langley Field. If the saucers were interplanetary, the N.A.C.A.--at least top officials--would probably have been in on any discussion of the disks' performance. Either way, the N.A.C.A.'s official attitude could be expected to match the Pentagon's. After lunch, I took a taxi to the office of the private engineer. Like D------, he has asked that he not be quoted by name. The name I am using, Paul Redell, will serve that purpose. Redell is a well-known aeronautical engineer. He has worked with major aircraft

77 companies and served as a special consultant to government agencies and the industries. He is also a competent pilot. Although I had known him several years, he refused at first to talk about the saucers. Then I realized he thought I meant to quote him. I showed him some of the material I had roughed out, in which names were omitted or changed as requested. "All right," Redell said finally. "What do you want to know?" "Anything you can tell us. But first, your ideas on these sketches." I showed him D------'s drawings and then gave him the high points of the investigation. When I mentioned the mystery-light incident at Fairfield Suisan Air Force Base, Redell sat up quickly. "The Gorman case again!" "We heard about some other 'light' cases," I said. "One was at Las Vegas." "I know about that one. That is, it you mean the green light--wait a minute!" Redell frowned into space for a few seconds, "You say that Fairfield Suisan sighting {p. 90} was on December third? Then the Las Vegas sighting was only a few days later. It was the first week of the month, I'm positive." "Those light reports have got me stumped," I said. "A light just can't fly around by itself. And those two-foot disks--" "You haven't worked on the Gorman case?" asked Redell. I told him I hadn't thought it was coming up on my schedule. "Leave these sketches here," he said. "Look into that Gorman sighting. Then check on our plans for space exploration. I'll give you some sources. When you get through, come on back and we'll talk it over." The Gorman "saucer dogfight" had been described in newspapers; the pilot had reported chasing a swiftly maneuvering white light, which had finally escaped him. Judging from the Project "Saucer" preliminary report, this case had baffled all the Air Force investigators. When I met George Gorman, I found him to be intelligent, coolheaded, and very firmly convinced of every detail in his story. I had learned something about his background. He had had college training. During the war, he had been an Air Force instructor, training French student pilots. In Fargo, his home, he had a good reputation, not only for veracity but as a businessman. Only twenty-six, he was part owner of a construction company, and also the Fargo representative for a hardware-store chain. Even

I blacked out temporarily. owing to excessive speed." he told Project "Saucer" men later. Gorman had just been cleared by the C.78 knowing all this. From his altitude. men watched from the tower.
. But the Cub was nowhere near the strange light. now an Air National Guard lieutenant. and I don't believe there are many. Meantime. both the C. Neither could another C. "When I attempted to turn with the light. Gorman Could see the Cub plainly outlined below him. There was a night football game going on. The other pilots on this practice patrol had already landed. Jensen was using powerful night glasses. It was a clear white and completely roundabout six to eight inches in diameter. By contrast.p. Gorman dived on the light. D. Concerned with the danger of collision--he said later that he." Gorman reported his speed at full power as 350 to 400 miles per hour. but still no shape was visible near the mysterious light. He was told the only other plane in the area was a Piper Cub. As the mystery light raced above the football field.A. {p. he was unable to distinguish a shape near the light. During the maneuvers that followed.A. "I thought it was making a pass at the tower. The fantastic dogfight continued for twenty minutes. he saw no shape at all around the light. which was steadily blinking on and off. 4.A. Up in the F-51. I found it hard at first to believe some of the dogfight details.500 feet. Jensen.A.A. had also spotted the queer light. thought it a plane's tail light--he trained his binoculars on it. Johnson. man who was with him in the tower. It was about nine o'clock in the evening. too. As nearly as he could tell. I am in fairly good physical condition. October 1. operator in the Fargo Airport tower when he saw a fast-moving light below his circling fighter. if any. moving at about 250 m. it appeared to be the tail light of a swiftly flying plane. Gorman described it in detail.A. and the field was brightly lighted. a Fargo resident named Manuel E. But the ground observers confirmed them. he could see the Cub's outline clearly. Instead of seeing the silhouette of a plane.h. I dived after it and brought my manifold pressure up to sixty. Gorman noticed an odd phenomenon.000 feet high. it was 1. had been on a practice flight in an F-51 fighter. Like Gorman. "As I closed in. L. Gorman. but I couldn't catch the thing. the airport traffic controller. "it suddenly became steady and pulled up into a sharp left turn. 91} Gorman called the tower to recheck his clearance. 1948.

) After landing at the airport. When I asked Gorman {p. 93} about the court-martial rumor. The pilot was Dr. Gorman noticed no deviation on his instruments. Gorman's remarks about ramming the light reminded me of what Art Green had said. his passenger was Einar Nelson. "I put my fifty-one into a sharp turn and tried to cut it off. Gorman's plane went into a power stall. 92} During these sharp maneuvers. Suddenly it made a sharp right turn and we headed straight at each other. odor. He did not notice any sound. Cannon." said Gorman. according to the Project "Saucer" report. I went into a dive and the light passed over my canopy at about five hundred feet. Dr. Gorman climbed after it at full throttle. an oculist. Gorman did not confirm or deny this when I talked with him. But he did agree with the rest of the Project statement. Just when we were about to collide I guess I lost my nerve. then made another left bank. He made one last try. At 14. other witnesses. the light still outdistanced him. He thought it might be a Canadian jet fighter from over the border. If his fighter was disabled. he gave me a searching glance. D. He was now determined to ram it. saw it change direction and disappear. "By then we were at about seven thousand feet." When collision seemed imminent a second time. the light climbed quickly. he could bail out. climbing up to 17. the light turned in a north-northwest direction and quickly disappeared.79 pilots who could withstand the turn and speed effected by the light and remain conscious. or exhaust trail. two. Just about this time. Cannon later told investigators the light was moving at high speed. saw the fastmoving light. Meanwhile. Gorman was making desperate efforts to catch the thing. A few moments later. Then it made a left circle about one thousand feet above and I gave chase again. a private pilot and his passenger. But despite the F-51's fast climb. the object shot straight into the air. Throughout the dogfight. since there seemed nothing solid behind it to cause a dangerous crash." {p. "Where did you hear that?"
. A. Dr. Cannon and Mr. Nelson again watched the light.000 feet. or if it caught fire. (A careful check with Canadian air officials ruled out this answer.000 feet.

Gorman had a pretty rough time of it for a while. it has a lighted candle on it." Gorman grinned. The balloon was drifting in the opposite direction. 94} plane would certainly have been seen by Gorman and the men in the tower." The next step by Project "Saucer" investigators had been to look for some unidentified aircraft. because of the dark. He was tracking the balloon with a theodolite. and the wind direction was wrong. they asked about a thousand questions. and I could tell they thought it might be a hoax at first. "At Chicago. there's nothing to it. You know the kind. Somebody else released that report to the A. a Fargo pilot told me there had been trouble over the ramming story. And the Project 'Saucer' teams really worked on him. was hallucination. Some of the newspapers razzed his story. Finally. and comets--a vain hope. but the idea got around. So that killed the weather-balloon idea." I told him. and he showed them his records. Some time afterward. the investigators admitted they had no solution. "Sure." Gorman declared. The news story didn't actually say there was an Air Force order to ram it. fireballs. "They had it just about wrapped up--until they talked to George Sanderson. Both the tower men backed him up.
. there was a weather balloon released here. and we heard that Washington squawked. The time and altitudes didn't fit. "At first. to begin with. as the Project report later stated. "But it wasn't Gorman's fault. He's the weather observer." answered Gorman. He changed the subject. An astronomical check by Professor Hynek ruled out stars. The Project teams said I'd chased after that candle and just imagined the light's maneuvers-confused it with my own movement. the outline of a conventional {p." "Anybody suggest it was a balloon?" I said casually. Obviously. he denied he'd had rough treatment by the Project teams. in Salt Lake City--in fact. it was only routine. "You see." When I asked Gorman about this. we've been hearing it all over. too. This failed. P. But that was before they quizzed the others who saw it." "Well. The only other conventional answer. In view of all the testimony.80 "Several places. they were sure that's what it was. I guess they were trying to scare him into saying he was mistaken. hallucination had to he ruled out. and it was a balloon.

1949. That thought had begun to worry me. the partially inflated gas bags are almost a hundred feet tall. a cosmic-ray research balloon would have reached a very high altitude by the time it had drifted this far." A leaking balloon? More and more. watching with binoculars. . it would either have remained at that height or kept on descending. whatever it was. In the Saturday Evening Post of May 7. and was able to attain a much steeper climb and to maintain a constant rate of climb far in excess of the Air Force fighter.A. we would drop the thing completely. on April 27. Perhaps John Steele had been right. As a balloon pilot. 1949.81 The first Project "Saucer" report. the massive shape of even a partly deflated balloon would have stood out like an elephant. They then rise swiftly to very high altitudes. . in the second of his articles on flying saucers. In Shallett's words. If a leaking balloon had come down to one thousand feet at Fargo. that if national security was involved. so that night-flying planes will not collide with the gas bag or the instrument case suspended below. The two C. If a Cub's outline was visible against the lighted football field. this leaking gas bag would have had to rise swiftly to seventeen thousand feet--after a loss of helium had forced it down to one thousand. The only possible answer to its low-altitude sighting would be a serious leak. these huge Navy balloons are filled with only a small amount of helium before their release at Minneapolis. Sidney Shallett analyzed the Gorman case. For the cosmic-balloon answer to be correct.
. Shallet suggested this solution: that Gorman had chased one of the Navy's giant cosmic-ray research balloons. "These balloons travel high and fast.A. The crowd at the football game would certainly have seen such a monstrous shape above the glare of the floodlights. and he had agreed. I became convinced that Secretary Forrestal had persuaded some editors that it was their patriotic duty to conceal the answer. As already mentioned. for the plastic balloons gleam brightly {p. Each of these huge balloons is lighted. Shallett concluded that Gorman was suffering from a combination of vertigo and confusion with the light on the balloon." Fargo is about two hundred miles from Minneapolis. left the Gorman "mystery light" unidentified. men. and we shouldn't be trying to dig out the answer. The mystery light was observed at this altitude moving at high speed. The Project "Saucer" report said unequivocally: "The object could outturn and outspeed the F-51. Normally. because of my part in this investigation. 95} in any light rays. . Even before release. I know this is impossible. could not possibly have missed it. unless a leak develops. But I had already told Purdy.

"I know. "It got me. It was not until months afterward that I found Project "Saucer" had withdrawn this "solution. Before he could get a good look. 1948. I told him I was baffled by the idea of a light maneuvering through the skies with no airfoil to support it. D. And there was the encounter that Lieutenant H. its speed was nearly six hundred miles an hour. Combs." Even one of the giant balloons would have been hard to take as the explanation. at first. even if each balloon was lighted. this case. 96} and flashed his landing lights on it. near Washington. It looked like a grayish globe. In a final attempt to identify it.. when a strange object loomed up near him. Since Combs's story had been in the newspapers. as closely as he could estimate. Project "Saucer" evidently had felt in wise to give some explanation. I was amazed. at 9:45 P. This incident had occurred on November 18. Here was the concluding sentence: "The mystery was cleared up when the object was identified positively as a cluster of cosmic-ray research balloons. And yet there were the other light reports--the strange sighting at Fairfield Suisan Field. C. six weeks after Gorman's experience. fuzzy light. the globe light whirled off to the east and vanished. But he had seen only one light. Combs zoomed the T-6 up at a steep angle {p. The idea of a disembodied light was the hardest thing to swallow that I'd come across so far. When I read it. That would mean all the rest of the balloons were unlighted--an unbelievable coincidence. I was badly puzzled. so had Lieutenant Jackson. How the balloon-cluster explanation ever got into the first report is still a mystery. was about to land his T-6. and it gave off an odd. Number 207. Combs chased the weird object for over ten minutes. Combs had had one night above Andrews Field. in the preliminary report. It would be a miracle if Combs got through without hitting one of them. flying with another lieutenant named Jackson. Once. was listed in the "Unidentified" group. with several huge balloons in its path.82 By the time I had proved the balloon answer wrong. the weird green lights at Las Vegas and Albuquerque." he said. But an entire cluster! I tried to picture the T-6 zooming and twisting through the night sky." In its final report. When I talked with Gorman. during which it appeared to evade every move he made."
. too.M. Combs was almost sure to have collided with it in his head-on passes. G.

and always one move ahead of me. I gave up the idea. ask Gorman what they found when they checked his ship with a Geiger counter. I had a feeling Redell knew the answer to the mystery lights. If it had been a mechanical control.83 "You mean you know the answer?" I demanded. it would have turned or climbed the same way each time I got near it. but Gorman just smiled and shook his head. and it wasn't easy to put off the solution. while I was working on the space plans." I tried to pry some hint out of him. When you get to Fargo. It wasn't any radar-responder gadget making it veer away from my ship. Reluctantly. The letter that came from Art Green." {p. then he must be under orders. You see. because Combs's report indicated the same thing. ART GREEN
." he said. It bothered me. I might be talking about an official secret. Maybe you can figure out the rest. and he didn't like to be pushed. If he says it was negative." said Gorman. But Redell had an orderly mind. Instead. "But I'd rather not have it printed." That was all I could get out of him. If my hunch turns out to be right. it was as if some intelligent mind was directing every turn like a game of chess. I got some ideas from all the questions those Project teams asked me. Yours. I had a strong temptation to skip the space-plans research and tell Redell what Gorman had told me. several Air Force pilots have told me about it. "I can tell you this much. didn't make it easier: Dear Keyhoe: Just heard about your Seattle visit. "It's just my personal opinion. That Fairfield Suisan thing is on the level. I happen to know better. There was thought behind every move the light made. "because it's been mentioned in print. 97} "How do you know that?" "Because it reacted differently at different times.

was to look up official announcements. "To provide an integrated program. nothing new. Even the devastating V-2. writers of imaginative fiction have described trips to the moon and distant planets. Defense Secretary James Forrestal had released this official statement: "The Earth Satellite Vehicle Program. Among them was one for a huge earth satellite. in checking on our space plans. The Air Force research was indicated by General Curtis E. which would circle the earth
. General LeMay included these space-exploration requisites: "Flight and survival equipment for ultra-atmospheric operations. In outlining plans for an Air Engineering Design Center at Wright Field. As a natural result of this. comic books and strips have gone in heavily for space-travel adventures. 98} Their buzz bomb. More recently. I found that on December 29. LeMay. some of the German plans were revealed. and other rocket pioneers took some vicious ridicule before America woke up to the possibilities." Appropriation bills had already provided funds for space exploration plans. of course. German scientists had gone far ahead. was just the beginning. Pendray.84
CHAPTER XI
MY FIRST STEP. 1948. For many years. When the Allies seized Nazi secrets. as for rocket flight." The idea of exploring space is. The latter had been "proved" impossible by aeronautical engineers. including space vehicles. the Committee has recommended that current efforts be limited to studies and component design. was just a step in their tremendous space program. If the Nazis could have hung on a year or two more. which soared high into the stratosphere before falling on England. the war might have had a grimly different ending. Well-defined areas of such research have been allocated to each of the three military departments. and devices for use therein. Goddard. space bases. about on a par with efforts to break through the sonic barrier. a low-altitude semi-guided missile. who was then Deputy Chief of Air Staff for Research and Development. which is being carried out independently by each military service. the first serious rocket experiments in this country were labeled screwball stunts. has been assigned to the Committee on Guided Missiles for coordination. From this base. {p. it was too silly for serious consideration. Meantime.

enormous mirrors would focus the sun's rays on any desired spot. it will have to reach a speed of 23. once such a vehicle is beyond gravity's magnetism. 947-956. this first satellite is expected to be used as a testing station. The first satellite may fall back and have to be guided to an ocean landing. But sooner or later. The first attempts may fail.000 miles an hour. 10. Once in free space. and many other items. 100} ships operating to and fro on the earth shuttle. Perhaps the first satellite vehicle will be followed by a compartmented operating base. In its upward flight. A momentary burst from the jets would be sufficient to bring it back to its orbit. First publication of this scheme brought the usual jeers. it is stated that a meteorite is unlikely to penetrate the thick shell our space vehicles will undoubtedly have. Many people. Its rocket power will be shut off. by radar. Earth Satellite Vehicle Program. In this case. October 1948) In this study. there will be no gravitational pull to offset. along with plans for a moon rocket. it could coast on out into space and be lost. fuel required for course corrections. The result: swift. with other rocket {p. Journal of Applied Physics. this applies only to the earth's atmosphere. These controls will be either automatic or operated from the ground. believed it had been just a propaganda plan that even Goebbels had discarded as hopeless. Then the manned space ships will follow. No. so that finally we will emerge with an interplanetary space craft. Then the Pentagon announced the U. Shielding is expected to prevent danger from cosmic rays and solar radiation. a sort of aerial aircraft carrier." by G. At a height of about 500 miles. Instruments will record and transmit vital information to the earth--the effect of cosmic rays. 19. it can coast along in the sky forever. including some reputable scientists. However. fiery destruction of any city or base refusing to surrender. may take years
. ("Probability that a meteorite will hit or penetrate a body situated in the vicinity of the earth. Circling the earth in about two hours. effective controls will be found. Longer studies. the only need for such power would be if the satellite veered off course. The moon rocket is expected to add to our information about space. solar radiation. Theoretically. A second space base farther out will probably be the next step.85 some five hundred miles away. pp. The danger from meteorites has been partly discounted in one scientific study. to escape the earth's pull of gravity. Vol. using remote-controlled vehicles in space. Or its controls might not bring it into the planned orbit. It may be manned. The artificial satellite is to be a large rocket-propelled projectile. or it may be under remote control like the first. Grimminger. The space ship and everything in it will be weightless.S. special controls will turn the projectile and cause it to circle the earth.

When reentering the earth's atmosphere the nose of a V-2 gets red-hot. On the take-off. Hundreds of technical problems must be licked before the first satellite vehicle can be launched successfully. dropping off when its fuel is exhausted. Escape from the earth's gravity is possible even now. give fascinating and well-thought-out pictures of what we may expect in years to come. But the cost would be prohibitive. Records on our V-2 rockets indicate some of the obstacles. perhaps forever.A.) Some authorities believe that our space travel will be confined to our own solar system for a long time. Vol. Both the acceleration and deceleration must be controlled before the first volunteers will be allowed to hazard their lives in manned rockets. against 23. 2. "S. though now a tremendous project. (Two of his books. much larger and brighter than the moon appears to us. to escape the moon's gravitational pull would take a speed of about 5. other nebulae or "hot" stars may be similarly identified by some peculiarity in their radio emanations. on which special groups are now at work.E.000 miles an hour. with our present rocket motors. Quarterly Transactions. But before we are ready for interplanetary travel. these could be used as check points in long-range space travel. noted authority on spacetravel problems.86 before it will be safe to launch a manned space ship. This is the V2-Wac Corporal combination. reaching a fantastic speed in the thin air higher up. a two-stage rocket has gone more than 250 miles above the earth. Clauser. using power for only a fraction of a second. The Wac Corporal then proceeds on its own fuel. Navigation at such tremendous speeds is another great problem. Radar or other devices may have to be developed to detect approaching meteorites at a distance and automatically change a space ship's course. such as cosmic rays.000 for the earth. A Navy scientific project recently found that strange radio signals are constantly being sent out from a "hot spot" in the Milky Way. 4.) Already. {p. atomic or otherwise. No. The trip to the moon. believes that pilots may have to accept temporary blackout as a necessity on the take-off. because of its smaller mass. 101} according to Francis H. would be relatively simple compared with a journey outside our system. The V-2 rocket is used to power the first part of the flight. would be easier than leaving the earth. their present swift acceleration would undoubtedly kill anyone inside. October 1948. The change required would be infinitesimal. Navigation would be much simpler. Willi Ley. we will have to harness atomic power or some other force not now available. Radar beams would also be a guide. ("Flight beyond the Earth's Atmosphere.
. an authority on space travel plans. and practical operations must wait for higher velocity rocket power. Rockets and Space Travel and Outer Space. Escape from the moon. If so. for the return trip. Our globe would loom up in the heavens.

or some force such as cosmic rays. At this speed.000 miles per second. would be just under the speed of light--186." "I don't see why that's so serious. "Oh. Otherwise. Ever hear of 'dead distance'?" "No. The round trip would take sixteen. Most space travel would probably be limited to the planets of our sun--the moon. no. Wolf 359 was named as the nearest star likely to have possibly inhabited areas." "Well. that's a new one. we are already at work on the problems the crews would face. "They're a lot further than that" he told me. Although it may be many years before the first manned space ship leaves the earth. {p. Your comprehension would always be lagging a split second behind the space ship's operation. The limiting speed in space. "Down at Randolph Field." "But you think instantaneously. If the speed of light is not an absolute limit for space ships. the Aero-Medical research lab has run into some mighty queer things. Everything would happen faster than your nerve impulses could register it. In the Project "Saucer" study of {p.87 The greatest obstacle to reaching far-distant planet is the time required. Mars. it sounds crazy. but even if atomic power. 102} space travel. according to Einstein's law. Let's say the ship was making a hundred miles a second--and that's slow compared with what they expect eventually." I objected. There have been a few scientists who dispute Einstein's law. matter is converted into energy. even for the fastest thinker. then travel to remote parts of the universe may someday be possible. Einstein states. I learned some of the details from a Navy flight surgeon with whom I had talked about take-off problems. a trip outside our solar system could be a lifetime expedition. and the others." I said. made an approach to that speed possible. 103}
. though no one has disproved it. Venus. It takes a fraction of a second. it would still take eight years to reach Wolf 359. It is a ridiculous assumption. Jupiter. Wolf 359 is eight light-years from the earth. but they've figured out that a space ship would be going faster than anyone could think.

and if you let it stay right there in front of your face you'd be sucking it back into your lungs. The slightest push could send crewmen floating around the sealed compartment. 104} amount of energy required to pump blood through the veins would be almost negligible. isn't it?" He nodded. they've already worked that out. But there's a more serious angle--your breath." he agreed. if you let go of it. at a hundred miles a second it might not be too serious." he said. What would that do to your heart?" "I couldn't even guess. The {p. but there's just no answer. everything about the human body presents a problem. I told him that I had heard about plans for avoiding meteorites. "Electronic controls would be faster than thought." I began." "That's probably the answer. They've been trying to work out some way of duplicating the effect of zero gravity. that's all the Aero-Medical lab can do--guess at it. Take the blood circulation. it would asphyxiate you." I said. and besides that the ventilating system has to remove the carbon dioxide. So would the cup. "Well. "The Randolph Field lab can tell you." "You'd have artificial air." One of the problems he mentioned was the lack of gravity. "The coffee would stay right there in the air. But if they ever get up to speeds like a thousand miles a second. that mental lag could make an enormous difference. whether it was a meteorite heading toward you or a matter of navigation." I said. "Same as drinking." "Then all the controls would have to be automatic. the situation would have changed. If you
. objects in the space ship would have no weight. though the throat muscles help force the food down. By the time your mind registered the thought. But what about the breath you exhale? It contains carbon dioxide. So the air has to be kept in motion." "What about eating?" I asked. I had already learned about this.88 "Suppose radar or some other device warned you a meteorite was coming toward you head-on. I don't know the answer to that. "Swallowing is partly gravity. "Yes. Once away from the earth's pull. "Suppose you spilled a cup of coffee. After a while. "What would happen?" I said I hadn't thought it out. "Of course. Or maybe some instrument indicated an error in navigation. In fact." said the flight surgeon.

89 could build a machine to neutralize gravity, you could get all the answers, except to the 'dead distance' question. "For instance, there's the matter of whether the human body would even function without gravity. All down through the stages of evolution, man's organs have been used to that downward pull. Take away gravity, and your whole body might stop working. Some of the Aero-Medical men I've talked with don't believe that, but they admit that long trips outside of gravity might have odd effects. "Then there's the question of orientation. Here on earth, orienting yourself depends on the feeling you get from the pull of gravity, plus your vision. just being blindfolded is enough to disorient some people. Taking away the pull of gravity might be a lot worse. And of course out in space your only reference points would be distant stars and planets. We've been used to locating stars from points on the earth, where we know their position. But how about locating them from out in space, with a ship moving at great speed? Inside the space ship, it would be something like being in a submarine. Probably only the pilot compartment would have glass ports, and those would be covered except in landing-maybe even then. Outside vision might be by television, so you couldn't break a glass port and let out your pressure. "But to go back to the submarine idea. It would be like a sub, with this big difference: In the submarine you can generally tell which way is down, except maybe in a crash dive when you may lose your equilibrium for a moment. But in the space ship, you could be standing with your feet on one spot, and another crewman might be--relative to you-standing upside down. You might be floating horizontally, the other man vertically. {p. 105} The more you think about it, the crazier it gets. But they've got to solve all those problems before we can tackle space." To make sure I had the details right, I checked on the Air Force research. I found that the Randolph Field laboratory is working on all these problems, and many more. Although plans arc not far enough advanced to make it certain, probably animals will be sent up in research rockets to determine the effect of no gravity before any human beings make such flights. The results could be televised back to the earth. All through my check-up on space exploration plans, one thing struck me: I met no resistance. There was no official reticence about the program; on the contrary, nothing about it seemed secret. Even though it was peacetime, this was a little curious, because of the potential war value of an earth satellite vehicle. Even if the Nazi scheme for destruction proved just a dream, an orbiting space base could be used for other purposes. In its two-hour swing around the earth, practically all of the globe could be observed-directly, by powerful telescopes, or indirectly, by a combination of radar and television. Long-range missiles could be guided to targets, after being launched from some point on the earth. As the missiles climbed

90 high into the stratosphere, the satellite's radar could pick them up and keep them on course by remote control. There were other possibilities for both attack and defense. Ordinarily, projects with wartime value are kept under wraps, or at least not widely publicized. Of course, the explanation might be very simple: The completion of the satellite vehicle was so remote that there seemed no need for secrecy. But in that case, why had the program been announced at all? If the purpose had been propaganda, it looked like a weak gesture. The Soviets would not be greatly worried by a dream weapon forty or fifty years off. Besides that, the Pentagon, as a rule, doesn't go for such propaganda. There was only one conventional answer that made any sense. If we had heard that the Soviets were about {p. 106} to announce such a program, as a propaganda trick, it would be smart to beat them to it. But I had no proof of, any such Russian intention. The date on Secretary Forrestal's co-ordination announcement was December 30, 1948. One day later, the order creating Project "Saucer" had been signed. That didn't prove anything; winding up the year, Forrestal could have signed a hundred orders. I was getting too suspicious. At any rate, I had now analyzed the Gorman case and checked on our space plans. Tomorrow I would see Redell and find out what he knew.

91

CHAPTER XII
'WHEN I called Redell's office I found he had flown to Dallas and would not be back for two days. By the time he returned, I had written a draft of the Gorman case, with my answer to the balloon explanation. When I saw him, the next morning, I asked him to look it over. Redell lighted his pipe and then read the draft, nodding to himself now and then. "I think that's correct analysis," he said when he finished. "That was a very curious case. You know, Project 'Saucer' even had psychiatrists out there. If Gorman had been the only witness, I think they'd have called it a hallucination. As it was, they took a crack at him and the C.A.A. men in their preliminary report." Though I recalled that there had been a comment, I didn't remember the wording. Redell looked it up and read it aloud: "'From a psychological aspect, the Gorman incident raised the question, "Is it possible for an object without appreciable shape or known aeronautical configuration to appear to travel at variable speeds and maneuver intelligently?"'" "Hallucination might sound like a logical answer," I said, "until you check all the testimony. But there are just too many witnesses who confirm Gorman's report. Also, he seems like a pretty level-headed chap." Redell filled his pipe again. "But you still can't quite accept it?" "I'm positive they saw the light--but what the devil was it? How could it fly without some kind of airfoil?" "Maybe it didn't. You remember Gorman described an odd fuzziness around the edge of the light? It's in this Air Force report. That could have been a reflection from the airfoil." "Yes, but Gorman would have seen any solid--" I stopped, as Redell made a negative gesture. "It could be solid and still not show up," he said. "You mean it was transparent? Sure, that would do it!" {p. 108}

Neither Gorman nor the C. but we had to stay clear of discussing any weapons that were still a secret. "I know some of those reports aren't authentic. If you accept the interplanetary answer. I found that Redell already knew about them. but that True faced a problem. "Why not?" Redell looked surprised. 109} Either all those early sightings were wrong. I told him I was pretty well convinced." I murmured. then you have to accept the basic idea. Then I realized what he meant. probably even before the first recorded sightings. whoever controlled it must have been able to see the F-51. keep this in mind: We may be dealing with some totally unknown principle--something completely beyond our comprehension. absolutely transparent. I had another reason." "Paul. and part of it seemed linked with guided missiles. {p. fuzzy look could have been caused by the whirling disk. you might blame the reports on planes and dirigibles. radio or radar. When you said to check on our space plans. The blurred.
. I wanted you to see all the problems involved in space travel. I felt sure we could prove the space-travel answer. It has a lot to do with what they'd be up to here. Technically. too--whoever is looking us over has licked all those problems years ago." said Redell. In the last forty years. you have to accept this. I thought you had some secret missile in mind." he admitted. men in the tower could possibly see the disk itself. "I can see thc rest of it--the thing was under remote control.92 "Let's say the airfoil was a rotating plastic disk. He was convinced that the earth had been under observation a long time." I said. And from the way it flew rings around Gorman." "No.A. "But if you accept even one report of a flying disk or rocket-shaped object before the twentieth century. But there was no propelled aircraft until 1903. I think you've hit it.A. He went on carefully. or some kind of fast aerial machine has been flying periodically over the earth for at least two centuries. I thought he was hunting at some radical discovery by Soviet--captured Nazi scientists. "You think they're interplanetary. but I didn't think you believed it." "Or by some means we don't understand." For a moment." When I mentioned the old sighting reports. they'd be hundreds of years ahead of us--maybe thousands. "In all these saucer cases. "Isn't that your idea? I got that impression. There was some conflicting evidence." "Yes. either with a television 'eye' or by radar.

You'd hear ordinary jets for miles. I don't believe any human being could take the G's involved in a maximum power climb. As the speed built up. I can't see the long ranges reported. thinking of Gorman's experience. You could have a square hole in the center. whether it's slotted or cambered." said Redell. with the jets taking over the job of whirling the cambered section. "Let's see if all the saucers could be explained as something launched from the earth. "It could turn faster than any pilot could stand. But we're got to be absolutely sure before we print anything. they'd need an eight-thousand-mile range. as long as there's enough air to work on. The forward component from that tremendous {p." said Redell. to spin your rotating section." "Well. let's take your rotating disk." I said. that's the general report. far more than any normal aircraft. Redell nodded.93 "I can't believe that guided missiles are the answer to the Godman Field saucer and the Chiles-Whitted case. and descend vertically. to explain all of the sightings." He reached for a pad and a pencil. a pilot's cockpit could be built into a large disk. Some of these saucers have been seen all over the world. the cambered disk would ride up the shaft and free itself." "The helicopter principle. "First. The disk could also hover. Here's one way. But to get up enough speed for the jets to be efficient." I said." "What about maneuvering?" I asked. they'd have to use remote control. your disk could be flown in any direction by tilting it that way. to avoid too many G's in tight maneuvers. you'd have to whirl the disk mechanically before the take-off. rising vertically. Ram jets take a lot of fuel. and here's another angle. Even with some highly efficient new jet. When it got to the desired altitude. No matter which hemisphere they were launched from. then the disk launching device would have a square shaft. With a disk rotated at high speed you get a tremendous lift. That would be a lot simpler to build than the stationary disk with variable jet nozzles. The only
. rotated by an engine or a motor. or this business at Fargo. 110} lift would result in a very high speed. at least. but there'd have to be some way of holding down the speed." "Right. "The most practical propulsion would be with two or more jets out on the rim. "The lift would be terrific. "At least. "Of course. let's analyze it." "Most of the disks don't make any noise.

it wouldn't be tiny enough to power the small disks. though we're working on it." Redell looked at me grimly. But it was not
. The first saucer was tracked by White Sands observers with a theodolite.94 apparent answer would be some new kind of power. He gave me the same story. And we don't have them now. The question is. I happen to {p. "Wait a minute. The cost would be enormous. (A few days later. "we'd hardly be flying them all over everywhere. could such disks fit specific sightings like the one at Godman Field and the case at Fargo?" Redell paused as if some new thought had struck him. I'm talking about range." Redell said. and performance. said Redell. The whole idea's ridiculous. 111} know about this case personally. and there'd always be a danger of somebody getting the secret if a disk landed. figures and all. when the first disks were seen here." "Plus the risk of injuring people by radiation. Imagine for a moment that we have disk-type missiles using the latest jet or rocket propulsion--either piloted or remote-controlled. But Redell shook his head. probably atomic. Even if we had such an engine. He talked with a Navy rocket expert who was in charge of naval guided-missile projects. "I told you I checked on this myself." "That seems to rule out the guided-missile answer. "After Miles told me about it. We certainly didn't have atomic engines for aircraft in 1947. just imagine an atomic-powered disk dropping into a city. I asked an engineer who'd been down there if it was true. This Navy man--he's a commander in the regular service--told Miles they'd seen four saucers down in that area." I began." "Anyway. was a well-known scientist from the General Mills aeronautical research laboratory in Minneapolis." I said. speed. Marvin Miles--he's an aviation writer in Los Angeles-was down at White Sands Proving Ground some time ago. Then I remembered Purdy's tip about a White Sands case. a little annoyed. "The thing was about fifty miles up. Then they worked out its performance with ballistics formulas." "You're sure he wasn't kidding Miles?" I said. which was working with the Navy. I verified this fact and the basic details of Redell's account. And it was making over fifteen thousand miles an hour!" One of the witnesses. here's an even better test. "Disk-shaped missiles are quite feasible.

those G's mean it couldn't have had any pilot born on this earth. No. "This Navy expert said the saucer actually looked elliptical. "I've heard that idea before." Redell went on. we could produce such a ship. Almost anything could hap pen. then this particular saucer was no earthmade device. over fifteen thousand miles an hour. They might claim it was a guided-missile attack." Redell went over several other cases. if the fuel held out. with atomic power to drive it. (Later. Before you could regain control." Redell emphatically shook his head. That is. "That fifty-mile altitude knocks out the rotating disk. Suppose it went wrong.) If this were an American device. sir--nobody in his right mind is going to let a huge ship like that go barging around unpiloted. would have to be false--part of an elaborate cover-up. then it meant that we had already licked many of the problems on which the Earth Satellite Vehicle designers were supposed to be just starting. But not now. 112} McLaughlin stated that it was 105 feet. "And the variable jet type would require an enormous amount of fuel. you might lose it in the sea." I suggested. "If we had such an advanced design. then. but it won't hold up. Their statements. even if no actual damage was done. It would be criminal negligence. Up in that thin air it wouldn't have any lift." "One thing is certain." said Redell. Or it might come down behind the Iron Curtain. "and I just don't believe it possible-would we gamble on a remote-control system? No such system is perfect.95 until early in January 1950 that I finally identified the officer as Commander Robert B.) "Here are two more items Miles told me. Commander {p. this White Sands saucer had been over a hundred feet long. your precious missile or strato ship could be halfway around the globe in about forty-five minutes." said Redell. McLaughlin and got his dramatic story. What if your ship's controls went haywire and the thing blew up over a crowded city? Imagine the panic." I said. "if it got off course or out of control. or egg-shaped. it would blow itself up. "If the White Sands calculations were correct. At that speed. it would tip off the Soviets." According to Marvin Miles. And while it was being tracked it suddenly made a steep climb--so steep no human being could have lived through it." "Right. Regardless." "It could have a time bomb in it. Even if it were I smashed to bits.
. Perhaps in coming years.

just to think of the force required to hold it in the sky was enough to stagger any engineer." "Even larger. or some hush-hush experimental job. it would. as you know. It could have killed hundreds of people.
. And they don't fool around at five thousand feet where people will see the thing streaking by and call the newspapers. 113} a dozen times." said Redell. a plane with a hundred-foot wing span would only be a speck twenty miles away. "it wasn't any remote-control guided missile. "Well." It was an odd thing. The human eye can't resolve any object that subtends less than three minutes of arc. have to have been huge--much larger than two hundred and fifty feet in diameter. It was utterly impossible that any nation on earth could have built such an enormous airborne machine." said Redell. but my mind balked. One thing was certain now. This could be the key I had tried to find. For instance." Redell was silent a moment. if you saw it at all. Suppose that thing had crashed in Macon. Why. Redell said soberly." It was clear now why such desperate efforts had been made to explain away the object Mantell had chased. it was seen at places one hundred and seventy-five miles apart. then it was piloted. burned the heart out of the city. "How big do you think it was?" I asked quickly. At that speed it could have plowed its way for blocks. As if he had read my thoughts. it would have to be a thousand feet in diameter." "But this thing was seen clearly eighty-seven miles away--or even more. "I haven't worked it out. if it wasn't midway between the two cities. it would be sheer insanity. But I had never tried to figure out the object's exact size. "What was the word Mantell used--'tremendous'?" I tried to visualize the thing. We were years away--perhaps centuries--from any such possibility. The human eye wouldn't resolve an object that size. I knew the object was huge. I had. "If it was a missile. "What about that Eastern Airlines sighting?" I asked. Even to have been seen at all from both places. gone over the Mantell case {p. It was a huge space ship--perhaps the largest ever to come into our atmosphere. at such a distance and height. right through the buildings. "But I can give you a rough idea. At one time. But they don't test a job like that on any commercial airways.96 "Take the Godman Field saucer. first. "There's no other possible answer. I'll say it again.

So Gorman's light must have been powered and controlled by some unique means." I told him what I had heard about the blueprints the Air Force was said to have rushed. It would take something brand-new in jets. "You recall that Gorman said the light was between six and eight inches in diameter. I'll stake everything that we couldn't duplicate that space ship's performance for less than fifty million dollars. The same principle applies to all the other light reports I've heard. No shape behind them. and intelligent maneuvers." When I got him back to the Gorman case." said Redell." said Redell. especially at those speeds. "Of course they were worried. You could make a disk large enough. "And probably they still are. "But just try to imagine crowding a motor. or jet controls for rim jets. He estimated the transparent rim as not more than five feet in diameter. "And the way I'd have to soup it up. No pilot would deliberately fly it that low.
. That thing was guided from some interplanetary ship. hovering at a high altitude. but the mechanism and fuel section would be two or three feet across. showing me his idea of the disk light." Redell paused. the pilot wouldn't be circling around Georgia and Alabama for an hour. would take enormous force. He also said it seemed to have depth--that was in the Air Force report. it would be a damned dangerous ship to fly. 114} as a V-two rocket. He looked at me grimly. But I don't think they need be. I told Redell what Art had said about the Geiger counter." he said. in that small space." Redell declared. I don't know any engineer who would even attempt it.97 "To power a hundred-foot wingless ship. buzzing airliners." "You think all the mechanism was hidden by the light?" "Only possible answer. Plus your fuel supply. so far. but tremendous power. He'd stay up where he'd have a chance to bail out. "Possibly smaller. To carry that much gear. The fuel load would be terrific. at least. Not as much {p. Redell drew a sketch on his pad." {p. along with remote controls and a television device. 115} Until then. there's been nothing menacing about these space ships. Certainly. I had forgotten about Art Green's letter. high speed. it would take a fair-sized plane. "But I haven't any idea what source of power it used.

I made a mental note of the Friday date." "Fine. it shouldn't be surprising. Three months ago. "I've got a few more questions. it's a fascinating business What about coming in Friday? I'd like to see the rest of those case reports. I'd have told him he was crazy.
." Redell commented." As I started to leave. Carson is waiting. "But they said the reaction was negative. It would mean they have built incredibly small atomic engines. it was just three months since I'd started on this assignment. Redell looked at his calendar. If anyone had said I'd soon believe they were space ships." Going out. If Green is right." I was about to ask him what he meant when his secretary came in. But with a race so many years ahead of us. too. it's interesting." she told Redell. Of course.98 "I knew they went over Gorman's fighter with a Geiger counter. they may also be using some other kind of power our scientists say is impossible. "Mr. Then the figure clicked. At that time I'd only been half sure that the saucers were real. "He had a four-o'clock appointment. "I hate to break this up." I said.

I read over this section again: Since flying saucers first hit the headlines almost two years ago. appears to be relatively desolate and inhospitable. 1949. and there
. The other possibilities exist. 117} by astronomers. Even Mars. by the construction of homes and cities underground where the atmospheric pressure would be greater and thus temperature extremes reduced. Actually. or that the race--if it ever did exist--has perished. The possibility of intelligent life also existing on the planet Venus is not considered completely unreasonable {p. that there was more than one planet involved. hoping to find some clue to the space visitors' planet. The atmosphere of Venus apparently consists mostly of carbon dioxide with deep clouds of formaldehyde droplets. may have protected themselves by scientific control of physical conditions. there exists an excessively slow loss of atmosphere. This might have been done. there has been wide speculation that the aerial phenomena might actually be some form of penetration from another planet. however. That is Mars. of course. Project "Saucer" had discussed the possibilities in it! report of April 27.99
CHAPTER XIII
BEFORE my date with Redell. if they do exist there. that evolution may have developed a being who can withstand the rigors of the Martian climate. scientists speculate. is not impossible but is completely unproven. In other words. It was possible. of course. where the rare atmosphere is nearly devoid of oxygen and water and where the nights are much colder than our Arctic winters. so that a Martian race would be more occupied with survival than we are on Earth. astronomers are largely in agreement that only one member of the solar system beside Earth is capable of supporting life. On Mars. the existence of intelligent life on Mars. I went over all the material I had. oxygen and water. against which intelligent beings.

Our sun has nine. As for the cloudy atmosphere. Therefore. has two handicaps. Carl F. did not have too much weight. (After publication of our findings in True. Dr.") {p. One of these was Dr. I thought. and the other half ahead. von Weizacker stated: "Billions upon billions of stars found in the heavens may each have their own planets revolving about them. Martians could do the same. or other planets surrounded by constant clouds. It is also assumed that any visiting race could be expected to be far in advance of man. scientists concede that living organisms might develop in chemical environments which are strange to us. Thus. It is possible that these planets would have plant and animal life on them similar to the earth's. I knew. astronomers believe reasonable the thesis that there could be at least one ideally habitable planet for each of the 22 other eligible stars. the Project "Saucer" report went on to other star systems: Outside the solar system other stars--22 in number--have satellite planets. The last argument. One of these. the chance of space travelers existing at planets attached to neighboring stars is very much greater than the chance of space-traveling Martians. On January 10. the Earth. After the discussion of solar-system planets. they could have developed some system of radio or radar investigation of the universe. noted University of Chicago physicist. Venus. several astronomers said that many planets may be inhabited. Yet. On two others there is a possibility of life. This same method. one-half the other habitable planets would be behind man in development."
. We were planning to escape the earth's gravity. or something far superior. von Weizacker. The Navy research units.100 seems to be little or no water. however. The one can be viewed as almost a certainty (if you accept the thesis that the number of inhabited planets is equal to those that are suitable for life and that intelligent life is not peculiar to the Earth) . with their planet. 1950. were probing the far-off Crab nebula in the Milky Way with special radio devices. 118} After narrowing the eligible stars down to twenty-two the Project "Saucer" report goes on: The theory is also employed that man represents the average in advancement and development. could have been developed on Venus. is ideal for existence of intelligent life. Therefore. Her mass and gravity are nearly as large as the Earth (Mars is smaller) and her cloudy atmosphere would discourage astronomy. hence space travel.

but it's one I consider reliable. dwellers on other planets might live much longer. The night before my appointment with Redell. and other parts of Europe.) After improving their remote-control system. expanding the idea. where they were landed by remote control. It was almost appalling. the rocket's drive would have to be reversed. considered in terms of man's life span. "This man says the disks are British developments. the disks streaked up to high altitudes. were rotating disks with cambered surfaces--originally a Nazi device. British destroyers were stationed at 100-mile and later 500-mile intervals. "If you are. I knew. when their fuel was almost exhausted. Some had been seen over the Atlantic. the first ones straight eastward over open sea." This was a new one. where a guided-missile test range had been set up. refuel them. his informant said. Of course. almost any space journey would then be possible. (This part. I thought for a minute about traveling that vast distance. The British then had shifted operations to Australia. Near the end of the war. Steele talked for over half an hour. If the speed of light was not an absolute limit. The first British types had been developed secretly in England. it would be simply a matter of using rocket power in the first stages to accelerate to the maximum speed desired. {p. I have a suggestion-something that might be a real lead. Since there would be no resistance in outer space. Spain.101 The most likely star was Wolf 359--eight light-years away. "I can't give you the source. At a set time. hurtling without direction. "Are you still working on the saucers?" he asked.
." "I could use a lead right now. I hadn't considered the British. the disks came down vertically and landed in the ocean. 119} The saucers." said Steele. It was John Steele. along with the German technicians and scientists who had worked on the project." I told him. then a special launching ship would hoist them abroad. I was checking a case report when the phone rang. some in Turkey. according to this account. But the first tests showed a dangerous lack of control. they had built disks up to a hundred feet in diameter. to decelerate for the landing. there was such a range. could be true. Since part of the device was sealed. to track the missiles by radar and correct their courses. which used both radio and radar. the disks would float. In the latter phase. the British had seized all the models. These were launched out over the Pacific. and launch them back toward a remote base in Australia.

or circle around at high speeds until their own control system picked them up again. Some of the disk missiles were supposed to have been launched from a British island in the South Pacific. partly because of conflicting radio and radar beams from the countries below. said Steele. {p. his informant had told him. In order to check the range and speeds accurately. there had previously been a few cases when Australian-launched disks had got away from controllers and appeared over Europe. Steele's informant had told him. It was these new disks that had been seen in the United States. operated either by remote control or automatically under certain conditions. This was always done. where the disks could be tracked and even landed. Alaska. would be some powerful guided missile that could destroy Soviet bases after the first attack. the nearest station then sent a special signal to activate the detonator system. the disk would automatically speed up its rotation. I listened to Steele's account with mixed astonishment and suspicion. In this way. The British had rushed the project.102 Since then. Responding to some of these mixed signals. the sightings were due to imperfect controls. It sounded like a pipe dream. hover or descend over radar and radio stations. others came all the way from Australia. The first tests of the new disks was in the spring of 1947. and Latin America. then explode at a high altitude. to guide the missiles toward Australia and vessels at sea. the British decided. Steele said. was one extending over Canada. For this reason. when a disk headed toward Siberia. Special radar-tracking stations had also been established. the British knew. These stations also helped to bring in missiles from Australia. the disks had been known to reverse course. 120} If the account was right. Their only defense in England. a base had been set up in the desolate Hudson Bay country. At first. Still others were believed to have been launched by a mother ship stationed between the Galapagos Islands and Pitcairn. the disks sometimes failed to keep their altitude. because of Soviet Russia's menacing attitude. with the danger of hitting a populated area. Steele said. the disks' range and speed had been greatly increased. the British had arranged a simple detonator system. If it descended below a certain altitude. no disk would crash over land.
. The ideal test range. it had been carefully thought out. but if it was. Steele had been told. especially the details that followed. When radar trackers saw that a disk was off course and could not be realigned. it was necessary to have observers in the Western Hemisphere--the disks were now traversing the Pacific. Canada.

" Steele answered. it would be the biggest factor I knew for holding off war." "Then you're not worried about that angle any more?" Steele laughed. Anyway. "do you think we should even hint at it?" "I don't see any harm." Steele said earnestly. I don't think anyone is that far along. "That's the one thing I couldn't get. They've tapped a new source of power. "Oh--sixty thousand feet. Steele said. I thought of two or three holes. Then the British." Privately. in return for helping to conceal the secret. "That's just a guess--they probably operate much higher." "If he means atomic engines. it would offset any fear that the saucers are Soviet weapons."
. "If it's British." "No.103 At first. learning about the sightings. American defense officials had been completely baffled by the disk reports." That could make sense. They have agents everywhere." "What's the disks' ceiling?" I asked. We were to have the benefit of their research and testing and working models. "My source says this played a big part in increasing our aid to Britain." I said. including certain atomic secrets." I said. no. It was a big relief to find out the disks are British. "The Russians undoubtedly know the truth. had hastily explained to top-level American officials. And the rest of the story hangs together. "And I gather we paid in other ways. It might do a lot of good for American-British relations." said Steele. "How are they powered? What fuel do they use?" I asked him. "I don't believe it. We were also to aid in tracking and controlling the missiles when they passed over this country. "he said it wasn't that. I didn't think to ask. but it had me going for a while. at least. 121} worked out. If America and Great Britain both had a superior long-range missile. but I let that go. After a moment he added quickly. abruptly." said Steele." Steele said. But the long ranges involved in Steele's explanation made the thing incredible. An agreement had been {p. Sharing such a secret would be worth all the money and supplies we had poured into England. "This man told me it was the most carefully guarded secret of all. "No.

I told him about Steele. "I can tell you a little more. I thanked him for calling me. The rotation idea uses the same principle as the helicopter. of the British explanation. I was tempted to point out the flaws in his story. 122} "It's certainly more plausible than the Soviet idea. a disk might come down in a place like Chicago." Redell broke in." "You think there could be any truth in the British story?" "Would the British risk a hundred-foot disk crashing in some American city?" said Redell. The Nazis went to work on the disks. he asked me what I thought. Redell skimmed through it and nodded. "No remote control is perfect. Some sighting over Germany set them off about 1940. 123} space ships were using some great source of power we hadn't discovered on earth. "Up to then. but nobody had even followed that through.104 Before I hung up. If he was trying to plant a fake explanation. flying along airways and over cities. If he was sincere. I think that's where they first got the idea of trying out oval and circular airfoils. "It does look like an attempt to steer you away from the interplanetary answer. and put down the phone. "Every big nation has a guided-missile project. nobody was interested. But I didn't. and neither is a detonator system. it wouldn't hurt to let him think I'd swallowed it. "Some top Nazi scientists were convinced we were being observed by space visitors." Redell agreed." I said." he said. "though he may be passing on a tip he believes." I showed him the material I had on the Nazi disk experiments. they'd have
. When I saw Redell. I just can't see the British--any more than ourselves--letting huge unpiloted missiles go barging around the world. That's what I was told. and then blow up. If they'd succeeded. it would be poor thanks for what he had told me. I think they realized these {p. By some freak accident. they could have automatic devices to make them veer away from airliners--but what if a circuit failed?" "I go along with that. {p. "I don't say the British don't have some long-range missiles. I believe that's what they were after--that power secret. But no guided missile on earth can explain the Mantell case and the others we've discussed. They also began to rush space-exploration plans--the orbiting satellite idea." I said. Certainly. They'd searched all the old reports.

But before I left this time. The earth has its magnetic field. He goes into the electromagnetic-field theory. As it was. You'd use your first planet's magnetic field to start you off and then coast through space until you got into the field of the next planet. but most people scoff at it.105 owned the world. What do you suppose they're really like?" "I've thought about it for months. that space project caused them to leap ahead of everybody with rockets. and so does the sun. If he's right." When I asked Redell how he thought the space ships were powered. of course. But you'd be safer sticking to atomic power. That's been proved." Redell slowly shook his head. At least." "One thing bothers me. "But once you accept it." I said. That's the use of electromagnetic fields in space. that's how I understand it. I keep remembering the crazy-looking things in some of the comics." Most of our conversations had been keyed to the technical side of the flying-saucer problem. at first I had a queer feeling about it. Their power would be even greater than atomic power. it's like anything else. You get used to the idea. Probably all planets do. "I haven't the slightest idea. There's another source I've heard mentioned. he shrugged." he answered. "When I try to picture them. about 1943. I asked Redell how the thought of space visitors affected him."
. then there must be some way to tap this force and go from one planet to another without using any fuel. "Probably cosmic rays hold the answer. "Oh. "There's a man named Fernand Roussel who wrote a book called The Unifying Principle of Physical Phenomena.

beginning to rival Europe in industrial progress. According to the reports. What were they like? And what were they doing here? From the long record of sightings. they could probably chart our next steps toward the stratosphere--and then space. it might even have started in prehistoric time. clumsy airplanes of the early 1900's. More than a century later. the question kept coming back in my mind. One reason might be that our aerial operations were still at a relatively low altitude. shared the observers' attention. From our gradual progress to the big planes and bombers of today. Europe. If Redell was right. Observation of the earth followed a general pattern. But World War II had drawn more attention. they would see the drifting balloons that seemed an aerial miracle when the {p.
. Our atomic-bomb explosions and the V-2 high-altitude experiments might be only coincidence.106
CHAPTER XIV
THAT EVENING. had evidently become of interest to the space-ship crews. a brief survey. they would have noted the slow. the most populated area. the lines of steel tracks that carried our first trains. From then on. Watching for our first aircraft. then gradually more frequent observation as cities appeared on the earth. it was possible to get an answer to the second question. perhaps once a century or even further spaced. chiefly North America. The few sightings reported at other points around the world indicate an occasional check-up on the earth in general. the United States. the first steamships. 125} Montgolfiers first succeeded. They would have seen the slow sailing ships. after my talk with Redell. It was a strange thing to think of some far-off race keeping track of the earth's progress. Somewhere on a distant planet there would be records of that long survey. Apparently World War I had not greatly concerned the space observers. had been more closely observed than the rest of the globe until about 1870. but I could think of no other development that might seriously concern dwellers on other planets. I wondered how our development would appear to that far-advanced race. By this time. and this had obviously increased from 1947 up to the present time. Europe and the Western Hemisphere.

One of the prominent authorities is Dr. just as we were already planning special suits and helmets for existence on the moon. I got a key to the probable explanation. In his book Life on Other Worlds. in a fairly short time. After the first successful earth satellites. during this investigation. "Why don't you just reverse it--list what we intend to do when we start exploring space? That'll give you the approximate picture of what visitors to the earth would be doing. may exist on some solar planets.107 During the last two centuries. after the moon? According to Air Force reports. revolve around the sun. or that their communications did not include the methods that we used. But I found that hard to believe. During a talk with a former Intelligence officer. each one fiercer than the last. there are five more that. all the details of space plans have not been worked out. We cannot define life solely in our own terms. like the earth. Adding up all the things they had seen. More than one prominent astronomer believes that life. Dr. Probably many round trips to the moon will be made before going farther in space. Astronomer Royal. it could have been carried out years ago. 126} Which planet will be explored first. they could draw an accurate picture of man. I had been asked: "If the saucers are interplanetary. the earth creature. If there had been a guiding purpose of attack and destruction. we will either attempt a space base farther out or else launch a moon rocket.
. and the increasingly fierce struggle between the earth races. Such a superior race would certainly be able to master our radio operations. or anything else that we had developed. entirely different from our own. Jones points out that everything about us is the result of changing processes. it can exist in unfamiliar forms. it is almost a certainty that planets outside the solar system are inhabited. More than once. It was almost certain that any planet race able to traverse space would have the means for attack. Jupiter." Naturally. they would have watched a dozen wars. {p. And it should be equally simple to devise some means of survival on earth. but the general plan is clear. The long survey held no sign of menace. But because of the vast distances involved. and Venus. Spencer Jones. expeditions to our neighboring planets may be tried before the more formidable journeys. H. why haven't they landed here? Why haven't their crews tried to make contact with us?" There was always the possibility that the planet race or races could not survive on earth. begun millenniums ago and still going on. Besides Mars. spreading over the globe.

108 "It is conceivable." According to Dr. a manned unit could be released to make a more thorough check-up. If it then seemed fairly safe. The most probable step will be to launch a space vehicle equipped with supplies for a long time. life could be possible on worlds hotter and drier than ours. perhaps a year or two. No one expects such a survey until we have a space vehicle able to make the round trip. it would decide the question of their being populated. the cells of whose bodies contained silicon instead of the carbon which is an essential constituent of our cells and of all other living cells on the earth." Dr. Or it might have a civilization far in advance of ours. any aircraft likely to attack them. As the space ship neared Mars. Then they would attempt to examine the most densely populated areas. Combing the radio spectrum. they would pick up and record sounds and signals in order to decipher the language. such as Mars. then. Since Mars has been frequently mentioned as a source of the flying {p. Once in this orbit. it could be turned to circle the planet in an orbit. "that we could have beings. even if volunteers offered to make such suicidal journeys. The explorers would first try to get a general idea of the whole planet. within the solar system. unmanned remote-control "observer" units with television "eyes" or other transmitters would be sent down to survey the planet at close range.
. 127} saucers. Jones. let's assume it would be the first solar-system planet to be explored from the earth. Also. they might be able to exist at temperatures so high that no terrestrial types of life could survive. it could circle indefinitely without using fuel except to correct its course. Even if a survey of the sun's planets proved fruitless. The planet might be uninhabited. types of armature. And that because of this essential difference between the constitution of those cells and the cells of which animal and plant life on the earth are built up. just like our planned earth satellite vehicle. Our explorers would have no idea of what awaited them. From this space base. One-way trips would tell us nothing. it would provide valuable experience for the much longer journeys into space. it could also exist on a very much colder one. It might be peopled by a fiercely barbarous race unaware of civilization as we know it. Jones states in his book. Such preliminary caution would be imperative.

This same procedure would apply to the rest of the solar-system planets and to more distant systems. the Martians. we would probably end our survey and check on the next possibly inhabited planet. maximum speed. maneuverability. but the explorers would have to confirm their reports. In this way. withdraw to show they had no warlike intentions. listen in. Later analysis would tell whether earthlings would need oxygen-helmet suits such as we plan to use on the moon. If they seemed belligerent or uncivilized. Mitch of this could be done by sending down remote-control "observer" disks. they might hear a hodgepodge of tongues. the explorers would first learn everything possible about the planet's aircraft. But before risking flight at such low altitudes. They would try to determine their top ceiling. If we found they were highly civilized. and try to learn its language. If the appearance of our observer units and manned craft caused too violent reactions on the planet. The next step would be to select the most technically advanced nation. It might not yet have developed radio and television. and also decide whether the bases were suitable for their own use later. decades of observation and analysis. if any. one making it impossible to land or requiring years of research to overcome. Our astronomers already have analyzed Mars's atmosphere. or record it for deciphering afterward on earth. learning the languages. Another interplanetary craft from the earth might take its place later to resume periodic surveys. or {p. the explorers would withdraw to their orbiting space vehicle and either wait for a lull or else start the long trip back home. Since Wolf 359 is the nearest star outside our system that is likely to
. By hovering over the planet's aircraft bases. Analysis of their atmosphere might show a great hazard to earthlings. There might be other obstacles beyond our present understanding. to find out whether the atmosphere at the surface would support their lungs if they landed. to find out their performance. It might even be necessary to lure some Martian aircraft into pursuit of our units. We might find a civilization not quite so advanced as ours.109 As on earth. we would undoubtedly attempt later contact. a vast amount of information could be collected without once making contact with the strange race. or communicating with. A manned unit might make a survey at night. the explorers could get most of the picture. But it might take a long time. But our explorers would above all avoid any sign of hostility. they would hastily. or in daytime with clouds nearby to shield it. 128} whatever type we decide to use. before we were ready for that final step. The easiest way would be to send down manned or unmanned units with special apparatus to scoop in atmosphere samples. and if possible their weapons. We would then have no way of getting a detailed picture.

It was dull gray with a yellowish tinge and a different color from the atmospheric phenomena customarily seen near Mars. believes it was of volcanic nature. some of them have been seen. were found of atomic origin. It would be a tremendous undertaking. was reported by astronomers on January 16. Detailed observation of the planet would add to this period. there has never been a lack of volunteers for grand undertakings in the history of man. the planet will be scanned constantly for some clue to their nature. let us assume our explorers have found that Mars is experimenting with high-altitude rockets. but not advanced enough to be of interest to us. Since {p. or any other planet. about 1877. our astronomers would watch these planets. However. Meantime. Mars is now being carefully watched by astronomers. If we assume half that speed--which would still be an incredible attainment with our present knowledge--our space explorers would have to dedicate at least thirty-two years to the hazardous. It is quite possible that in our survey of the solar-system planets we would find some inhabited. one of these planets would probably be listed as the first to explore in far-distant space.110 have inhabited planets. it would cause serious concern on earth. If there are more of the strange explosions. Sadao Saeki. other authorities do not believe the planet was wrecked. lonely round trip.00 miles a second--it would take over sixteen years for the round trip. At this time. Suppose for a moment that it happened many years from now. The cause and general effects are still being debated. If a mysterious explosion on Mars. 129} Wolf 359 is eight light-years from the earth. unless the speed of light can be exceeded in space. the Japanese astronomer who first reported it at Osaka. Such an explosion. on Mars. Saeki believes the blast might have destroyed any form of life existing on the planet. we might make return visits to note their progress. are still apparent on photographs. Periodically. Any tremendous explosion on a planet would immediately concern us. in the upper atmosphere of Mars. 130} space explorations. when we will have succeeded in {p. The explosion created a cloud over an area about seven hundred miles in diameter and forty miles high. The canals first discovered on Mars by Giovanni Schiaparelli. higher powered telescopes for the purpose. but even though the telescopic camera recorded a violent explosion. 1950.
. even if a space ship traveled at the theoretical maximum--just under 186. probably developing new. rising at tremendous speed. to detect any signs of unusual activity.

it will give a reasonable picture of how visitors from {p. The first reaction would undoubtedly be an immediate resurvey of Mars. Observer units would be flown over the planet. Eventually. with instruments to locate atom-bomb plants and possibly uranium deposits. we would certainly keep a lose watch on Mars--or any other planet that seemed a possible threat.
. The rocket-launching bases would also come under close observation. Concentration on Europe. we would establish an orbiting space base--out of range of Martian rockets--and try to find how far they had advanced with atomic bombs. if so. a promise to share the peaceful benefits of our technical knowledge might be enough to bring Martian leaders into line. World-wide sightings at long intervals up to the middle of the nineteenth century. We would try to learn how close the scientists were to escaping the pull of gravity. with cities springing up across the land. 2. As quickly as possible. Such an investigation would tie in with the general pattern of authentic flying-saucer reports: 1.111 Then comes this violent explosion. as we began to develop industrially. Regardless of our final decision. as the most advanced section of the globe. until late in the nineteenth century. 3. 131} space might go about investigating the earth. from the early 1900's up to World War II. Any warlike ideas they had in mind could be quickly ended by a show of our superior space craft and our own atomic weapons--probably far superior to any on Mars. It might take one hundred years--perhaps five hundred-before the Martians could be a problem. the time would come when Mars would send out space-ship explorers. if our space-exploration program is just reversed. the Martians would not have so far to progress before succeeding in space travel. Periodic surveys of both America and Europe during the gradual development of aircraft. They would undoubtedly discover that the earth was populated with a technically advanced civilization. Samples of the Martian atmosphere would be collected and analyzed for telltale radiation. Now. It might even be possible that by then we would have finally outlawed war. Frequent surveys of America in the latter part of the nineteenth century. 4. A scientific analysis of the cloud by astrophysicists here on earth proves it was of atomic origin. Since Mars's gravity is much less than the earth's. The detailed survey by our space-base observers would probably show that there was no immediate danger to the earth.

As the scare increased. Holloman. It has been suggested that this was for the purpose of securing atmospheric samples. Fairfield Suisan. Newark. as at Lockbourne Air Force Base. over the following Air Force bases: Chanute. above the Muroc Air Base testing area.
. Harmon. The numerous small disks seen in the first part of {p. and Key West. Clinton County Air Force Base. Saucers have also been sighted over naval air stations at Dallas. The smaller disks and the mystery lights have been seen at low altitudes. Clark. Most of the extremely large saucers have been at high altitudes. but the number is unknown. at Macon and Montgomery. At that height. 132} the scare.112 5. Several times saucers have paced both military and civil aircraft. A second spurt of observations following atom-bomb explosions in Soviet Russia. Godman. at Bethel. Occasionally a larger saucer has been seen to approach the earth briefly. and Eniwetok. There is some evidence that Russia has an investigative unit similar to Project "Saucer. and from the station at Seattle. (Saucers have been reported seen over the Soviet Union. Alameda. and over the super-secret research base near Albuquerque. over areas containing atomic developments. An increase of observation during World War II. Japan. Robbins. after German V-2's were launched up into the stratosphere. and mystery lights began to be seen more often. in 1947. Bikini. some of them many miles above the earth. and other places. A steadily increasing survey after our atomic-bomb explosions in New Mexico. Authentic reports have described sightings. Hickam. Wright-Patterson. 6. Davis-Monthan. It could also be to afford personal observation by the crews. the daytime sightings decreased for a while. their actions strongly indicate deliberate encounters to learn our planes' speed and performance. Andrews. Continuing observations of the earth at regular intervals. This apparent desire to avoid unfavorable attention could have been caused by our pilots' repeated attempts to chase the strange flying objects. and the Azores. Alabama.") There are other points of similarity to the program of American space exploration that I have outlined. 8. with most attention concentrated on the United States. and air bases in Alaska. fit the pattern for preliminary and close observation by remotecontrolled observer units. 7. They have been reported maneuvering over the White Sands Proving Ground. the present leader in atomic weapons. Germany. a space ship would be in no danger from our planes and antiaircraft guns and rockets.

" At the time. several atomic scientists have confirmed this official's suggestion. Some atomic scientists say that a super-atomic bomb. "I'm not completely sold on the interplanetary answer. "They had a little trouble from cosmic-ray noise. It sounds fantastic. by Dr." he said. I can think of a stronger reason {p. Although I thought it improbable that the location of our uranium deposits would be of interest to space men. could knock the earth out of its orbit. According to Dr. he suggested an angle I had not considered. After many years of research. or several set off at once. it could speed up the earth's rotation or change its orbit. Elliott. I thought this was just idle speculation. Immanuel Velikovsky." he told me. and in some cases photographed by remote-control units or manned space ships. But assuming it's correct that we're being observed. a rate equal to some four pounds of hydrogen exploded every second. One of these was Dr. Velikovsky presents strong evidence that the planet Venus. Paul Elliott. But since then. recently published by Macmillan. if several hydrogen bombs were exploded simultaneously at a high altitude. even worse than the A-bomb. when still a comet resulting from eruption from a larger planet. "Mind you. It's a quick way of locating valuable deposits." When I told him what I had in mind. a Washington official told me it would be relatively simple to detect the ore areas with airborne instruments. A dramatic picture of what might happen if the earth were forced far out of its orbit is indicated in the much-discussed book Worlds in Collision. It's just possible that some solar-planet race discovered the dangers long ago. There may be some other atomic weapon we don't suspect. the plane crew gets a signal. He based his statement on the rate of energy the earth receives from the sun.
. one that could destroy the earth and seriously affect other planets. but so is the A-bomb. with unpredictable results. moved erratically about the sky and violently disturbed both the earth and Mars. a nuclear physicist who worked on the A-bomb during the war.113 It seems obvious that both the planes and the bases were being observed. Still other atomic scientists have said that Hbomb explosions might even knock a large chunk out of the earth. 133} than fear of some distant attack. They would have good reason to worry if they found we were on that same track. Dr. They finally had to cover the Geigers with lead shields. Whenever an important amount of radiation is present in the ground. and they spot the place on their map. "The Geological Survey has already developed special Geiger counters for planes.

if the planet is inhabited. Quoting many authentic ancient records. according to Worlds in Collision. the time at which the space ships are seen. The details.114 When the comet approached the earth. This may be what was back of the Project "Saucer" statement on the probable motives of any visitors from space. The comment appeared in a confidential analysis of Intelligence reports. our planet was forced out of its orbit. of a major upheaval {p."
. former dean of the New School of Social Research. "Report on Unidentified Aerial and Celestial Objects. The possibility of super-bomb explosions on the earth understandably disturb any dwellers on other solar-system planets. like the earth. reinforced by the Zend-Avesta of the Persians. But even if this particular account is not accepted. and the Visiddhi-Magga of the Buddhists." It reads as follows: "Such a civilization might observe that on earth we now have atomic bombs and are fast developing rockets. I mentioned this Air Force statement in an earlier chapter. all astronomers agree that the effect of a comet passing near the earth would be appalling. For a time. In view of the past history of mankind. and the time required for such ships to arrive from and return to home base. we should expect some relation to obtain between the time of the A-bomb explosions. strongly endorses Dr. Kallen. or remembered on Mars itself. including the Quiché manuscript of the Mayas. Dr. Some of the events in this period are mentioned in the Bible. which is documented with impressive references. "The face of the earth changed. tell of tremendous hurricanes. of oceans rushing over many parts of the land. was pulled out of its orbit by the comet's erratic passage. the Ipuwer papyrus of the Egyptians. but it may be of interest to repeat it at this time. Velikovsky's statements: "It is my belief that Velikovsky has supported his theses with substantial evidence and made an effective and persuasive argument." Many other authorities endorse this work. the world was on the brink of destruction. "Since the acts of mankind most easily observed from a distance are A-bomb explosions. Velikovsky describes the cataclysm that took place. Professor Horace M. Worlds in Collision states that Mars. We should therefore expect at this time above all to behold such visitations." he writes in his book. It may be that this near disaster to the earth and Mars is known on other solar planets. while rivers were driven from their beds. they should be alarmed. in the formerly secret Project "Saucer" document. 134} in the earth's surface.

Imagine tuning in soap operas." he said. 136} What would they be like? I'd tried to imagine how they might look. I couldn't begin to visualize beings with totally different cells.115
CHAPTER XV
IT was early in October 1949 when I finished the reversal of our space-exploration plans. along with newscasts about strikes and murders and the cold war. It may be just a rumor. "they'd probably have a hard time figuring out this country by listening to our broadcasts. It was possible that men from another planet might have to reorient even their way of thinking to understand the earth's ways. but we can't take a chance. Humor. I realized he had an important point. it would give them one hell of a picture. Flying up the next morning. But now. A few days of listening to that stuff--well. We've got to get this in the January book. It was in Washington. and he asked me to fly up to New York the next day. this was the first funny suggestion I'd had about the spacemen. despite their superior technical progress. {p. When I got back home. "I've just heard there's another magazine working on the saucer story. Spencer Jones hadn't helped much with his Life on Other Worlds. It would not be automatic. "If they are spacemen. I phoned him at True.' and a couple of crime yarns. Dr. it turned out to be a dud. I spent the next two days running down a sighting report from a town in Pennsylvania. "Who is it?" I said. might be totally lacking in their make-up. for instance." That night I gathered up all the material. It looked hopeless to condense it into one article. without getting anywhere. Evolution might have produced basic differences in their understanding of life. I found Ken Purdy had been trying to reach me. There were all kinds of possibilities. thinking seriously about it. I had just told him about the investigation. perhaps they couldn't take the heavier gravity of the earth. They might be easily subject to our
. They might pick up some of those kid programs about rocket ships. H. If they lived on Mars." Except for some hoax reports." he told me. for instance. I suddenly thought of a talk I'd had with an air transport official. 'The Lone Ranger. perhaps able to take terrific heat or bitter cold as merely normal weather. and I knew that Purdy had even more investigators' reports waiting for me in New York. Like three or four other tips that had seemed important at first. "I don't know yet.

Glancing down from the plane's window. of course. or would it be something new and strange. that the spacemen might look grotesque to us. as the pilot let down for the landing. Courage. It would take brave men to face the hazards of space. There was simply nothing to go on. Certain qualities were plainly evident. Curiosity. I thought: How does this look to them? Our farms." Was music a part of spacemen's lives. perhaps completely distasteful?
. there had been no sign of hostility through all the years. Intelligence. intelligent being. whether on Mars or Wolf 359's planets. No one could dispute that. I had seen South Pacific. with the speeding cars and trucks. These spacemen apparently lacked belligerence. the broad stretch of the Atlantic. 137} What would they think of America? Manhattan came into sight. our cities. But I clung to a Stubborn feeling that they would resemble man. I gave up trying to imagine how the spacemen might look. from an inborn feeling of man's superiority over all living things. That came. should have evolved in the same form. {p. and far off to the right.116 diseases. I could still hear Ezio Pinza's magnificent voice as he sang "Some Enchanted Evening. An odd thought popped into my mind. the winding river. It took a high order of mentality to construct and operate a space ship. the railroads there below. especially if they had destroyed disease germs on their planet--a natural step for an advanced race. It was possible. they would never have thought to explore far-distant planets. It was still not much of a picture. But somehow. I knew. Without this quality. They were seemingly painstaking and extremely methodical. But there were strong indications of how they thought and reacted. the highways. There were other qualities that seemed almost equally certain. it was encouraging. How would a spaceman react if he saw a Broadway show? Not long before. It carried over into a feeling that any thinking.

without a touch of what we know as emotion. But in their progress. we might be opening a Pandora's box. To them. we would find a common bond--the bond of thinking. I had had six months of preparation. It had not been a personal fear of the visitors from space. Perhaps. bound to reflect in the planet races. in spite of some differences. We ourselves might appear grotesque in form. But I had been conditioned to this thing. My last vague fear was gone. It had been a selfish fear of the impact on my life.117 They might live and think on a coldly intelligent level. But if it weren't done right. Surely these would be emotional forces. The airliner landed and taxied in to unload. trial and error. I realized that now. some feeling of triumph at success. It could even be the means of ending wars on earth. there must have been struggle. intelligent creatures trying to better themselves. it could help prepare Americans for the official disclosure. What if it had been thrown at me in black headlines? Even a peaceful contact by beings from another planet would profoundly affect the world. our lives might seem meaningless and dull. It might be a long time before they would try to make contact. Carefully done. As I went down the gangway I suddenly realized something. But I had a conviction that when it came. The story in True might play an important part in that final effect. six months to go from complete skepticism to slow. not an ultimatum.
. final acceptance. it would be a peaceful mission.

Purdy agreed with Paul Redell that any long-range tests would be made over the sea or unpopulated areas. no missile on earth can explain these major cases. at True." said Purdy. interplanetary travel is the main story. public acceptance of intelligent life on other planets would affect almost every phase of our existence-business. And the Navy missiles at Point Mugu are launched out over the Pacific. "They might make short-range tests down there in New Mexico and Arizona-maybe over Texas. Any guided missiles coming down over settled areas would certainly be an accident." The question of the story's impact worried both of us. You might accidentally give away something important. In going over the mass of reports. "It runs from Florida into the South Atlantic. Besides all that. we made the final decisions on how to handle the story. "But they'd never risk killing people by shooting the things all over the country. 139} been observed from space ships. Purdy and I both realized that a few sightings did not fit the space-observer pattern. where guided-missile experiments were going on. Most of these reports came from the southwest states. "After all. "Suppose you analyzed these minor cases that look like missile tests. along with the fact that the armed services had flatly denied any link with the saucers. "And the Mantell case alone proves we've {p." he said. we would state our main conclusion: that the flying saucers were interplanetary. the Chiles-Whitted report.118
CHAPTER XVI
THAT MORNING. along with the records of early sightings." "They've already set up a three-thousand-mile range for the longer runs. with every attempt at secrecy. defense
. Gorman's mysterylight encounter. Using the evidence of the Mantell case. even without the old records." I added. like their range and speeds." Purdy was emphatic about speculating on our guided-missile research. Look what the Russians did with the A-bomb hints Washington let out." It was finally decided that we would briefly mention the guided missiles. and other authentic cases.

"The only yardstick--and that's not much good--is that 'little men' story. many newspapers had repeated the story." I said. It had even been broadcast as fact on several radio newscasts. The Air Force was said to have hushed up the story. "But there isn't any menace in this story. if we do a straight fact piece. but they seem more interested than scared. What if a space ship should suddenly come down over a big city--say New York--low enough for millions of people to see it?" "it might cause a stampede. And I had been told once again that there was no security involved. The Wright Field unit. the cause was usually given as inability to stand our atmosphere. three feet high. There had been no attempt to dissuade me.119 planning. so everybody got the idea that spacemen couldn't live if they landed. I had informed Air Force press {p. so that the public could be educated gradually to the truth. just giving the evidence. At this time I had also asked if Project "Saucer" files were now available. When I asked if there was any other information on published cases. unless people had been fully prepared. according to Press Branch officials. both its files and its photographs secret. "The crews were reported dead." I said to Purdy. the answer again was negative. that Project "Saucer" had found nothing threatening the safety of America." he objected. two flying saucers had come down near our southwest border. All of them were dead. In the space craft were several oddly dressed men. Purdy snorted. But I could be wrong. "It looks as if people have come a long way since that Orson Welles scare. Though it had all the earmarks of a well-thought-out hoax. Personally. the immediate effect was more important. I was told. "it would be a miracle if it didn't. still was a classified project. I thought that most Americans could take even an official announcement without too much trouble. People at least will be thinking about it. 140} relations officials of True's intention to publish the space-travel answer. I told Purdy of my last visit to the Pentagon. philosophy. Of course. was still an
. it will start the ball rolling. This had been the first week in October. But there had been no signs of public alarm. The April 27th report." said Purdy. "A lot of people have got excited about it." The story of the "little men from Venus" had been circulating for some time. even religion." Before I left for Washington. In the usual version.

"We've let them know what we're doing. But Mars had been associated with the Orson Welles stampede. the Air Force could easily have done it. a mysterious ship 250 to 300 feet in diameter was startling enough." "I think we're being used as a trial balloon. At first. have increased markedly during the past two years. stated the following points as the conclusions reached by True: 1." He still did not have the name of the other magazine supposed to be working on the saucers. But it would still put across the spacetravel story. Just the way they did about uranium and atomic experiments during the war. a small. 3. the earth has been under systematic close-range examination by living. I chose Mars to illustrate our space explorations. a dirigible-
. If they'd wanted to stop us." Purdy said thoughtfully. 'I in absolutely convinced now. the article. metallic. The thought of those eight light-years would have a comforting effect on any nervous readers. perhaps because of its warlike name. Type III. The vehicles used for this observation and for interplanetary transport by the explorers have been classed as follows: Type I. I switched to a planet of Wolf 359. I used only the most authentic recent sightings. So far as they knew. Most discussions of the planet had a menacing note.120 accurate statement of Air Force opinions and policies. a very large. if not impossible. nonpilot-carrying disk-shaped craft equipped with some form of television or impulse transmitter. all of the cases were in the Air Force reports. years before we could even start to build it. I stuck to published estimates of the strange object's size. The chance of any mass visitation would seem remote. The intensity of this observation. Type II. and the frequency of the visits to the earth's atmosphere. All they'd have to do would be call us in. But it seemed a reliable tip (it later proved to be true). As finally revised. In writing the article. It also would explain those Project 'Saucer' hints in the April report. {p. no other explanations had be n found for the unidentified saucers. and tell us it was a patriotic duty to keep still. 141} In the end." I told Purdy. intelligent observers from another planet. 2. "that here's an official policy to let the thing leak out. For the past 175 years. It explains why Forrestal announced our Earth Satellite Vehicle program. written under my byline. and from then on we worked under high pressure. When it came to the Mantell case. give us the dope off the record. disk-shaped aircraft operating on the helicopter principle.

121 shaped, wingless aircraft that, in the Earth's atmosphere, operates in conformance with the Prandtl theory of lift. 4. The discernible patterns of observation and exploration shown by the so-called flying disks varies in no important particular from well-developed American plans for the exploration of space, expected to come to fruition within the next fifty years. There is reason to believe, however, that some other race of thinking beings is a matter of two and a quarter centuries ahead of us. Following these points, I added a brief comment on the possibility of guided missiles, adding that the Air Force had convincingly denied this as an explanation of any sightings. As Purdy had suggested, I carefully omitted ten minor cases that I thought might be linked with guided-missile research. If disclosing the facts about space travel helped to divert attention from any secret tests, so much the better. "True accepts the official denial of any secret device," I stated, "because the weight of the evidence, especially the world-wide sightings, does not support such a belief." {p. 142} Most readers, of course, would know that some guided-missile experiments were going on, and that True was fully aware of it. But our main purpose would be achieved. The fact that the earth had been observed by beings from another planet would be fully presented. Some readers, of course, would reject even the fact that the saucers existed. Others would cling to the idea that they were of earthly origin. But the mass of evidence would make most readers think. At the very least, it would plant one strong suggestion: that we, men and women of the earth, are not the only intelligent species in the universe. When the article was finished, it was tried out on True's staff, then on a picked group that had not known about the investigation. One editor summed up the average opinion: "It will cause a lot of discussion, but the way it's written, it shouldn't start any panic." The January issue, in which the story ran, was due on the stands shortly after Christmas. With my family, I had gone to Ottumwa, Iowa, to spend the holidays with my mother and sister. While I was there, the story broke unexpectedly on radio networks. Frank Edwards, Mutual network newscaster, led off the radio comment. He was followed by Walter Winchell, Lowell Thomas, Morgan Beatty, and most of the other radio commentators. The wire services quickly picked it up; some papers ran front-page stories. The publicity was far more than I had expected. I phoned a reporter in Washington whose beat includes the Pentagon.

122 "The Air Force is running around in circles," he told me. "They knew your story was due, but nobody thought it would raise such a fuss. I think they're scared of hysteria. They're getting a barrage of wires and telephone calls." That night, as I was packing to rush back east, he called with the latest news. "They're going to deny the whole thing," he said. "But' I heard one Press Branch guy say it might not be enough {p. 143} --they're trying to figure some way to knock it down fast." Next day, while changing trains at Chicago, I saw the Air Force statement. The press release was dated December 27, 1949. Without mentioning True, the Air Force flatly denied having any evidence that flying saucers exist. After examining 375 reports, the release said, Project "Saucer" had found that they were caused by: 1. Misinterpretation of various conventional objects. 2. A mild form of mass hysteria or "war nerves." 3. Individuals who fabricate such reports to perpetrate a hoax or to seek publicity. Evaluation of the reports of unidentified flying objects, said the Air Force, demonstrates that they constitute no direct threat to the national security of the United States. Then came the clincher: Project "Saucer," said the Air Force, had been discontinued, now that all the reports had been explained. It was plain that the release had been hastily prepared. It completely contradicted the detailed Project "Saucer" report, issued eight months before, that had called for constant vigilance, after admitting that most important cases were unsolved. Anyone familiar with the situation would see the discrepancy at once. From Washington I flew to New York, where I found True in a turmoil. Long-distance calls were pouring in. Letters on flying saucers had swamped the mail room. Reporters were hounding Purdy for more information. A hurried analysis of the first hundred letters showed a trend that later mail confirmed. Less than 5 per cent of the readers ridiculed the article. Between 15 and 20 per cent said they were not convinced; a few of these admitted they could not refute the evidence. About half the readers accepted the possibility; most of these said they saw no reason why other planets should not be inhabited. The remainder, between 25 and 30 per cent, said they were completely convinced.

123 Even the disbelievers asked for more information. The intelligence level of the average letter was gratifyingly high. Comments came from scientists, engineers, airline and private pilots, college professors, officers of the armed {p. 144} services, and a wide variety of others--including far more women than True's readership usually includes. Several confidential tips had come in when I arrived. Most of them were from usually reputable sources. We were given evidence that Project "Saucer" was still in operation; since its true code name was not "Saucer," it could be continued without violating the Air Force press release. This same information was received from a dozen sources within the next two weeks. We were also told that there had been 722 cases, instead of 375. Meantime, a number of astronomers had come out with statements, pro and con. One of these was Dr. Dean B. McLaughlin, of the University of Michigan. "No one knows what the saucers are as yet," Dr. McLaughlin said. "They could be anything, and I'm willing to be convinced once the evidence is presented." Dr. Bart J. Bok of Harvard was on the fence: "After all," he said, "all sort of things float around in space. But I'm not convinced the saucers are anything apart from the earth." Another Harvard astronomer, Dr. Armin J. Deutsch, took an oblique poke at True and me. "I don't think anyone--and that includes astronomers--knows enough about them to reach any conclusions." After this came the comment of Dr. Carl F. von Weizacker--that billions of stars may have planets, and many could be inhabited. Within a few days we had a huge stack of clippings, some supporting True, some deriding us. In the midst of all this, I read scientists' comments on Einstein's new unifiedfield theory, which had been printed about the time True appeared on the stands. A discussion by Lincoln Barnett, author of The Universe and Dr. Einstein, explained the basic premise--that gravitation and electromagnetic force are inseparable. As I read it, I thought of what Redell had said. If gravitation were a manifestation of electromagnetic force, was it possible that an advanced race had found a way--as unique as splitting the atom--to offset gravity and utilize that force? It was during these first tense days that we ran down the White Sands story. This also ended another puzzle-{p. 145} the identity of the magazine that we had feared might scoop us.

During the first week of January.N. 146} The day before the broadcast. He also described two small circular objects. operated by animate. he believes that the flash of the first A-bomb. This was 18. a program official told me they had been told to include the Air Force denial in the script. giving the answers to all the saucer reports. they had planned to run the story in an early issue. The basic facts were in close agreement with what Redell had told me. the People. and disappeared. Meantime.000 miles per hour. Formerly secret Project "Saucer" files would be opened to newsmen at the Pentagon. When the writers argued over a point. I had a feeling that he had been warned about talking freely. Chiles-Whitted. The editors of a national magazine had learned of Commander McLaughlin and the sightings at White Sands. Since True had appeared first with the space-travel story. After maneuvering around it for a moment." {p. and Gorman cases. a Project "Saucer" Intelligence officer who served as liaison man between Wright Field and the Pentagon. Major Boggs had been asked for specific answers to the Mantell. that streaked up beside a Navy high-altitude missile. about twenty inches in diameter.
. he seemed oddly constrained. intelligent beings. a point not far from White Sands. Commander McLaughlin stated in his article that he was convinced the object was a space ship from another planet.124 The race had been closer than we knew. I appeared on "We. before rehearsals. During rehearsals. Just after my return to Washington. The strange craft. The ellipsoid-shaped saucer had been tracked at a height of 56 miles. Gorman told them: "I can say only what was in my published report--nothing else. had climbed as swiftly as Marvin Miles had described it--an increase in altitude of about 25 miles in 10 seconds. passed the fast-moving Navy missile. was caught by powerful telescopes. I saw an I.P. an A. Two of the staff had carefully investigated the details. story that was widely printed. That afternoon I learned that the Air Force planned to monitor the broadcast. its speed 5 miles per second. both disks accelerated. It is Commander McLaughlin's opinion that the saucers come from Mars. at Alamogordo Base. It was an interview with Major Jerry Boggs. Pointing out that Mars was in a good position to see our surface on July 16. the editors agreed to release the McLaughlin report for use in our March issue. 105 feet in length. he changed his lines in the script. 1945. even faster than Redell had said." with Lieutenant George Gorman. Convinced that the report was accurate. story carried a new Air Force announcement. When I saw Gorman.S.

in a slow. I was also to talk with General Sory Smith. after fifteen months?" I asked him. We've checked with astronomers." If my question annoyed him.S." Boggs said. with a quietly alert face. "That's a flat contradiction of Project 'Saucer's' report.125 The answers he gave amazed me." Boggs said.N. "They rechecked after that report. was practically invisible that day. Boggs looked to be in his twenties. Is that the official Air Force answer?" "Yes. took me to General Smith's office for the interview. tried earnestly to convince me the saucers didn't exist. {p. I picked up the phone and called the Air Force Press Branch.." I said. a civilian press official I had known for some time. 147} "Were you quoted correctly on the Mantell case?" I asked. I was told that Major Boggs was being briefed for assignment to Germany. Venus. But all through our talk. It was still unidentified. Major Jesse Stay. An interview would be almost impossible. for errors. He was trim. Both Jesse and Jack Shea. obliging chaps who had helped me in the past. Boggs gave me a curiously searching look.
. After some delay. Jesse was still trying when Major Boggs came in. Deputy Director for Air Information. Two rows of ribbons testified to his wartime service." Later. It could have been merely his usual way of appraising people he met. arranged for the meeting. story. it is. then back at the intelligence major. His eyes never left my face. younger than I had expected. When Jesse Stay introduced me. "Major. Jack Shea. unruffled voice." "Why did they recheck. "All I want is thirty minutes. pleasant. "He wasn't too busy to talk with I.S. "'They must have gone over those figures long before that. I had a strong feeling that he was on his guard. Last April. a Press Branch officer. but first I mentioned the I. Boggs gave no sign. I glanced across at General Sory Smith. "Yes. after they had checked for fifteen months. they said positively it was not Venus. I was. I had written out some questions. "Captain Mantell was chasing the planet Venus.N. well built." It was so incredible that I shook my head." Major Boggs looked me squarely in the eye.

no matter what secret was given him to conceal. "And Gorman was chasing a lighted balloon?" Again the Intelligence major nodded." said Boggs. 149}
. I began to realize how a lawyer must feel with an imperturbable witness. His manner."
CHAPTER XVII
FOR A MOMENT after Boggs's last answer. And it was more than the result of Air Force Intelligence training. out that all three of the cases mentioned had been listed as unidentified in the April report. "Major. I had an impulse to end the interview." We looked at each other a moment. "You were quoted as saying they saw a meteor--a bolide that exploded in a shower of sparks. the all-important connecting link with the project at Wright Field. I made one more attempt. and those were the answers." said Boggs. "I hope you'll realize this is not a personal matter. courteous sphinx in an Air Force uniform." I said. And Boggs's unfailing courtesy began to make me embarrassed. "What new facts did they learn?" Boggs said calmly. his voice carried conviction. Major Boggs patiently waited. He would have convinced anyone who had not carefully analyzed the Godman Field tragedy. "They'd had those cases for months. As an Intelligence officer." "That's right." "What about the Chiles-Whitted case?" I asked. "That's all right--but I'm {p. "Do the Godman Field witnesses--Colonel Hix and the rest-believe the Venus answer?" "I haven't asked them. "so I couldn't say. I pointed. I had a feeling I was facing a sphinx--a quiet." he said. "They just made a final analysis. I was sure now why Major Jerry Boggs had been chosen for his job. "Mantell was chasing Venus.126 There's no other possible answer. if you're told to give certain answers--" He smiled for the first time." I said. No one would ever catch this man off guard.

" Boggs explained simply. 150} A. we checked the reports. Yes." Boggs said emphatically. "It seems very strange to me. The report wasn't carefully checked. The rest of the interview was in straight question-and-answer style: Q. all the major cases were officially unsolved. I was sure Jesse knew it. "The contracts are ended. "that Project 'Saucer' isn't closed--that you just changed its code name. "But the case reports you quoted came from Wright Field. eyeing me earnestly." "We've been told. or early in September. from what Major Boggs says." I said. "In April. Then in August or early September." This was an incredible statement. Major Boggs was waiting politely for the next question." Jesse Stay interrupted before Boggs could reply. the Press Branch will have to take the blame for that." "That's not so.
.127 not hiding a thing. "Don." I said. much of its work still under way. "I was told the investigation was still going on. Boggs leaned forward. We just don't believe them." "Last October. and all personnel transferred to other duty. so far as we've found out. I picked up my list." "The Press Branch hadn't been informed yet. There's just no such thing as a flying saucer. B. There were several loose statements in it. As of April twenty-seventh. we'd finished the investigation months ago--around the end of August." "Then the announcement wasn't caused by True's article?" Both General Smith and Major Jesse Stay shook their heads quickly. 1949. That's pretty hard to believe. McLaughlin has written up? {p. They said there were no new answers to the cases just mentioned. It said the project was young. "As a matter of fact." I said. Do you know about the White Sands sightings in April 1948? The ones Commander R. the whole thing's cleaned up. the Air Force called for vigilance by the civilian population." No one answered that one. We just hadn't got around to announcing it.

and you can see them. When the project first started checking on saucers we were naturally anxious to get hold of one of the things. weren't there? A. Is there any reason I shouldn't see them? A. No. There were 722 cases in all. the director of the Navy cosmic-ray project at Minneapolis. like the others. I've been told that Project "Saucer" had the Air Force put out a special order for pilots to chase flying saucers. Yes. then all the files should be opened. and the Eastern Airlines cases? A. Each case has a separate book. Well. If Project "Saucer" is ended. Q.128 Q. Q. A. We did investigate. He's considered a very reputable engineer. the summaries have been cleared. Q. One of the witnesses was Charles B. Yes. A. There'd be a lot of material to search through. I mean the actual files. Could I see the complete file on that case? Also on Mantell. nowhere near that. Did you know he confirms the first report--the one about the saucer 56 miles up. Is that right? A. Did that include National Guard pilots? A. Then 375 is the total figure--I mean the number of cases Project "Saucer" listed? A. A. He says it should be carefully investigated. Q. We think he was mistaken. I knew about him. Q. Moore says it was absolutely sure it was not hallucination. Mr. it did. that's right. Moore. We told the pilots to do practically anything in reason. and some of them are pretty bulky. I don't know the exact figure. Were any of those planes armed?
. No. That's out of my province. Q. Q. even if they had to grab one by the tail. Q. Gorman. Q. We just don't believe they saw anything. at a speed of eighteen thousand miles per hour. Yes. There were a few more--something over four hundred.

Apparently it made quite a commotion. Q. Q. all right. "It's all up to the local commanders now. I don't know. A. I'd rather not discuss any more cases without having the books here. One of them emptied his guns at it. I never heard about it. Major. that's positive. Has Project "Saucer" released its secret pictures? A. Didn't they draw some sketches that matched Arnold's? A. The plane was armed for another reason. I'd like to go back to the Mantell case a second.129 {p. Q. Q. Q. And if they want to investigate them. But we found out later they'd heard about it on the radio. What was this New Jersey case? A. 151} A. an airliner crew-At this point. They didn't show anything. Q. Only if they happened to have guns for some other mission. Well. like gunnery practice. One more question. But I can't remember all the details without the case books. No. In the Kenneth Arnold case. that's up to each
. Maybe half a dozen. I meant a case reported out at Luke Field. Q. We've heard of one case where fighters chased a saucer to a high altitude. Q. A. You must mean that New Jersey affair. Major Jesse Stay broke in. What pictures? There weren't any that amounted to anything. it was Venus. didn't some forest rangers verify his report? A. there were some people who claimed they saw the same disks. It might have happened. If Venus was so bright--remember Mantell thought it was a huge metallic object--why didn't the pilot who made the search later on-A. Well. if the story sent us is correct. Have any reports been received at Wright Field since Project "Saucer" closed? There was a case after that date. If they want to receive reports of anything unusual. Three fighters took off. That was back in 1945. just spots on film or weather balloons at a distance.

He smiled. "I knew Tommy Mantell very well. I asked Jack Shea for the case-report summaries that Boggs had mentioned. "It must be. I talked with General Smith alone. I told him I was not convinced. 152} commander. He seemed surprised.'" "I'm not sure about the senior officer. I opened one book at random. I'll phone Wright Field and call you." General Smith said earnestly. After Bogs had left. and I was glad the interview was over. So these were the "secret files"! Across the hall. He got them for me--two collections of loose-leaf mimeographed sheets enclosed in black binders. {p." There at the last. and thanked him for being so decent about it." I was about to leave. still the courteous sphinx. it had been a little. "He may have been detached already. "I'd like to see the complete files on these cases I mentioned. Major Boggs was unruffled as ever. The first thing I saw was this: "A meteorologist should compute the approximate energy required to evaporate as much cloud as shown in the incident 26 photographs. That's all ended." "You believe Venus is the true answer?" I asked him. in the press room. I knew neither one was the kind to have hallucinations. 153} Major Boggs had said there were no important pictures. And Colonel Hix is a classmate of mine. but he motioned for me to sit down. getting your viewpoint.130 {p. and went on out. "It was interesting. like a courtroom scene. "I can understand how you feel about the Mantell report. if Wright Field says so. That case got me. But I don't see any reason why you can't see those files. at first." Photographs. But no Project 'Saucer' teams will check on reports." I explained." When I went back to the Press Branch. I'd like to talk with the last commanding officer or senior Intelligence officer attached to Project 'Saucer.
. I apologized for the barrage of questions." he said. "Also." General Smith answered.

131 I tucked the binders under my arm and went out to my car. But that didn't seem likely. I was almost positive that he did. But I was equally sure they weren't the answers he had given me. As liaison man.
. he should know all the answers. Perhaps these books hinted at more than Boggs had realized.

if reports from other localities refer to the same object. I am repeating a few paragraphs below. It is possible to see it in daytime when one knows exactly where to look. Of course." (Some of the final Project report on Mantell has been given in an earlier chapter. As already described. The first report I checked was the Mantell case. as the investigator fully realized. That he must have considered the space-ship answer at this point is strongly indicated in the following sentence:
. from places 175 miles apart. 1948. almost simultaneously. It was also sighted at other points in Ohio. too. Venus was less than half its full brilliance. the chances of looking at the right spot are very few. The very first sentence in Case 33 showed a determined attempt to explain away the object that Mantell chased: "Detailed attention should be given to any possible astronomical body or phenomenon which might serve to identify the object or objects. Venus might be seen as an exceedingly tiny bright point of light. I knew the answer was not Venus. was seen moving at five hundred miles an hour over Lockbourne Field. or a similar one. any such device must have been a good many miles high--25 to 50--in order to have been seen clearly. the same mysterious object. Nothing that Boggs had said had changed my firm opinion. However. 155} This absolutely ruled out the balloon possibility.132
CHAPTER XVIII
THAT NIGHT I went through the Project "Saucer" summary of cases. It was a strange experience. and with the eye shielded from the direct rays of the sun. The Godman Field incident was listed as Case 33. The report also touches on the Lockbourne Air Base sighting. If this can be established it is to be preferred as an explanation." {p. under exceptionally good atmospheric conditions. and I was certain Boggs knew it. However. to help in weighing Major Boggs's answer. "It has been unofficially reported that the object was a Navy cosmic ray balloon.) These are official statements of the Project astronomer: "On January 7.

however. It seems therefore much more probable that more than one object was involved. it could have been visible in the daylight sky. in which the same consultant attempts to explain a strange daylight sighting at Santa Fe." The next paragraph of this Project "Saucer" report practically nullified Major Boggs's statement that Venus was the sole explanation: "It is most unlikely. To make it worse. I suggest the moon in a gibbous phase. New Mexico. . . however. It would have appeared. . it is worth mentioning. might have caused dangerous panic. 156} has little to correspond to either report." Here is what the Project "Saucer" investigator had to say: "The magnitude of Venus was -3. I found a report that has an extremely significant bearing on the Mantell case. if it had exploded in the headlines at that time. One of the Santa Fe observers described the mysterious aerial object as round and extremely bright. Considering discrepancies in the two reports. so that they fail to identify it. This was Case 175. 1948). Even if he had actually died from blacking out
. . . does still necessitate the inclusion of at least two other objects than Venus. in the knowledge of this investigator no man-made object could have been large enough and far enough away for the approximate simultaneous sightings.133 "If all reports were of a single object. so far as the visibility of Venus was concerned. in daytime this is unusual and most people are not used to it. While this hypothesis {p. Such a hypothesis. . Project "Saucer" dropped the Venus explanation as a practically impossible answer. however.8 (approximately the same as on January 7. Captain Mantell had been killed. . "It seems far more probable that some type of balloon was the object in this case. . which had very little publicity. The sighting might have included two or more balloons (or aircraft) or they might have included Venus (in the fatal chase) and balloons. . In the Santa Fe case. But in Case 33. "like a dime in the sky. that so many separate persons should at that time have chanced on Venus in the daylight sky. There was only one explanation: Project "Saucer" must have known the truth from the start-that Mantell had pursued a tremendous space ship." Both the Godman Field and the Santa Fe cases were almost identical. That fact alone." Farther on in the summaries. more like a pinpoint of brilliant light than 'like a dime in the sky. it had tried desperately to make Venus loom up as a huge gleaming object during Mantell's fatal chase. and it certainly is coincidental that so many people would have chosen this one day to be confused (to the extent of reporting the matter) by normal airborne objects.' It seems unlikely that it would be noticed at all.

Unless the Air Force supplied some {p. the Muroc Air Base sightings. if maintained. The story would spread like wildfire: Spacemen kill an American Air Force Pilot! This explained the tight lid that had been clamped down at once on the Mantell case. Evidently. It was more than a year before that policy had been changed. I found increasing evidence to back up this belief. until the public could be prepared for an official announcement. Apparently I had been right. they could not ignore the reports. And I doubted that there would be headlines. Since they were only eight thousand feet above the field. It was quite possible that we had revived that first Air Force fear of dangerous publicity. But the Air Force had not expected such nation-wide reaction from True's article. Case 1. even if they did report that spacemen had downed the pilot. in particular. had plainly baffled Project men seeking a plausible answer. which could be published if needed. Jesse Stay. But Mantell had been dead for two years. "But the evidence of tight circles. As I went through other case reports. Highly trained Air Force test pilots and ground officers had seen two fast-moving silver-colored disks circling over the base. True's plans to announce the interplanetary answer would have fitted a program of preparing the people. "Explaining away" would be a logical program. that much I knew. then the first official discussions of possible space visitors had begun to appear. this case was the key to the riddle. and the others had tried so hard to convince me that we had made a mistake. Wright Field had made a final effort to explain away the reports. 157} convincing details. the disks whirled in amazingly tight maneuvers. Said the Air Materiel Command:
. Flying at speeds of from three to four hundred miles an hour. is strongly contradictory." the case report reads. News stories would not have the same impact now. they had not suspected such a detailed analysis of the Godman Field case. these turns could be clearly seen.134 while trying to follow the swiftly ascending space ship." Although Case 1 was technically in the "unexplained" group. the manner of his death would still be speculation. officials had probably set the pattern for handling all other reports. It had been the first major sighting in 1948. In searching for a plausible answer. "It is tempting to explain the object as ordinary aircraft observed under unusual light conditions. Project "Saucer" had been started immediately afterward. few would have believed it. Because of the Air Force witnesses. I could see now why Boggs.

Under unusual conditions. A fireball would not have come into view at 1. Muroc Air Base would have been blown off the map. Checking the secret report from the Air Weather Service.135 "The sightings were the result of misinterpretation of real stimuli. What did the Muroc test pilots really see that day? While searching for the Chiles-Whitted report. If correct.
. ." One air-base officer. there is no astronomical explanation." This case is officially listed as answered. . Definitely prohibits any balloon from southerly motion. nothing on earth could have stood it. It does not seem likely any meteor or auroral phenomenon could be as bright as this. 158} had learned about in Seattle. a fireball might appear to rise somewhat as a result of perspective. the drifting balloons would have had to move at this speed. I recalled. If a three-hundred-mile wind had been blowing at eight thousand feet. which I {p. the Project investigator made a valiant attempt to fit an answer: "Possibly a close pair of fireballs. probably research balloons. had insisted that the object had been a lighted balloon. all levels. 60-70 miles per hour from southwest. or faster. If one were to stretch the description to its very limits and make allowances for untrained observers. but it seems unlikely. This was Case 215. but . The absence of trail and sound definitely does not favor the meteor hypothesis. the ball of light could not be a fireball. The Project "Saucer" comment reads: "If the observations were exactly as stated by the witnesses. where a cigar-shaped object was seen at Dayton. In Case 19. and that the bright sunlight might have made both the objects and the trails nearly invisible." Then came one of the most revealing lines in all the case reports: "In the almost hopeless absence of any other natural explanation. one must consider the possibility of the object's having been a meteor. . I found this: "Case 2 15. there is no record of a three-hundred-mile-an-hour wind. Ohio. ran across the Fairfield Suisan mysterylight case. does not rule it out finally." In all the world's history. . he could say that the cigar-like shape might have been illusion caused by rapid motion. even though the description does not fit very well.000. Very high winds. To cover the distance involved. .000 feet and risen to 20.

observers at Robbins Air Force Base. The report began with these words: "There is no astronomical explanation. makes it necessary to see whether any other explanation. though I began to see a glimmer of the answer. Case 24. is officially listed as answered." he goes on. and it should he resorted to only if all other possible explanations fail. But the sheer improbability of the facts as stated. Macon. The Chiles-Whitted sighting was listed as Case 144. Twice they approached the earth. if we accept the report at face value. 159} attempt to find an explanation. too. I wondered if Major Boggs's "bolide" answer would have any more foundation than these other "astronomical" cases." This case.136 "This investigator does not prefer that interpolation. trailing varicolored {p. The Project investigator tried hard to prove that these might have been parts of a double fireball. no matter how farfetched. saw the same mysterious object streak overhead. Why they had been released now was still a puzzle. I was more and more convinced that these had been confidential discussions of various possible answers. In this case. can be considered. No Project investigator would have been so frank. this investigator would prefer a terrestrial explanation for the incident. 160}
. "to tell us whether the immediate trail of a bright meteor could produce the subjective impression of a ship with lighted windows." After this candid admission of his intentions. Considering only the Chiles-Whitted sighting. But at the end. circulated between Project "Saucer" officials. shows the same determined {p. 1947." It was plain that this report had not been planned originally for release to the public. With each new report. he said. even though farfetched. Idaho. Georgia. which occurred June 12. two fast-moving objects were seen at Weiser. the Project consultant earnestly attempts to fit the two pilots' space ship description to a slow-moving meteor. particularly in the absence of any known aircraft in the vicinity. twelve days before the Arnold sighting. As I started on the report. "It will have to be left to the psychologists. then swiftly circled upward. the hypothesis seems very improbable. "In spite of all this." As I mentioned in an earlier chapter.

Nor does the Project "Saucer" report try to fit the Robbins Field description to any earth-made aircraft. No ordinary aircraft would have caused the brilliant streak that startled the DC-3 passenger and both of the pilots." he proceeds. regardless of its bizarre nature. Therefore. the air-base men's description tallied with the pilots'. and on through both the case books. The Robbins Field witnesses have flatly denied it was a conventional plane.
. The Air Force screened 225 airplane schedules. Major Boggs's bolide answer had gone the way of his Venus explanation. But the Project report on Gorman (Case 172) merely {p. . and the weird flames trailing behind. All the testimony. All the observers agreed on the object's very high speed. respectively. But he has an alternate answer: "If the difference in time is real. the consultant admits this fact. To bolster up the meteor theory. In the Appendix. object must have been an extraordinary meteor." Having checked the time angle before. all the actual evidence was missing. 161} hinted at the balloon answer. the Project consultant suggests a one-hour error in time. its windows would not have been visible from the ground. the object was some form of known aircraft. Neither of the Project "Saucer" alternate answers will fit the facts. ." In all the reports I have mentioned. These were only the declared conclusions of Project "Saucer. Except for the double-deck windows. The air-base observers were struck by the object's huge size. in which case it would have covered the distance from Macon to Montgomery in a minute or two. "the. I wondered if the Gorman light-balloon solution would fade out the same way. The one-hour interval has been proved correct. And in a later part of the Project report. "If there is no time difference. I knew this was incorrect. The explanation: The airliner would be on daylight-saving time. and proved there was no such plane in the area. one thing was immediately obvious. there was a brief comment: "Note that standard 30 inch and 65 inch weather balloons have vertical speeds of 600 and 1100 feet per minute. 1. 2. . its projectile-like shape." Whether they matched the actual conclusions in Wright Field secret files there was no way of knowing. Both reports were given in eastern standard time. as the Project consultant admits." The "bizarre nature" is not specified.137 flames. With the ship at five thousand feet or higher. This was about one hour before Chiles and Whitted saw the onrushing space ship. it could not be a meteor.

and the fact that the trees 'spun around on top as if they were in a vacuum. Idaho. 1847. . these two incidents and 17. North Atlantic. [This was the Commander McLaughlin White Sands report. the sky-blue color. radar sighting .] No logical explanation." The other bona fide sightings! Was this a slip? Or had the Air Force deliberately left this report in the file? If they had. clues to what Project officials might really be thinking. . . of all those reported. August 13. Here are a few of the things that. Holloman Air Force Base. Two points stand out. April 18.'" Then came the sentence that made me sit up in my chair. . one investigator reports: "Barring hallucination. caught my eye: Case 10. Case 75 struck a familiar note. A disk moving through a canyon at tremendous speed had whipped the treetops as if by a violent hurricane. . . This was the strange occurrence at Twin Falls.
. . But in spite of the above admission that this case cannot be explained away. 75 and 84 seem the most tangible from the standpoint of description. United Airlines report . 1948. no astronomical explanation. it is officially listed as answered. I found. . . Case 124. . . . despite conjectures. . . . "Apparently it must be classed with the other bona fide disk sightings. The report was brief. what was back of it {p. . April 6." the report began. 1948 . Case 122. I found some odd hints." Case 17. but one sentence stood out with a startling effect: "Twin Falls. After an analysis of two Indianapolis cases. on which True had had a tip months before. no logical explanation seems possible. "There is clearly nothing astronomical in this incident. . and the most difficult to explain away as sheer nonsense. was that of Kenneth Arnold. . 162} --what was back of releasing all of these telltale case summaries? I skimmed through the rest as quickly as possible looking for other clues.138 But even in these sketch reports. Idaho.

Several cases were omitted."
." In only three cases did the A. the crew watched them for the entire period and described them in detail later. Ignoring the evidence of veteran airline pilots. the Air Materiel Command carefully states: "It is not the intent to discredit the character of observers. It implied that all of these were answered. but each case has undesirable elements and these can't be disregarded. when illusory effect are most likely. "But they said you wouldn't find anything of value out there. the A. proceeds to discredit completely the testimony of highly trained Air Force test pilots and officers at Muroc. it was implied that the witnesses were either confused or incompetent. (The 300-400 m. the Air Force had mentioned 375 cases. The actual Wright Field files should tell the answer. In the appendix.C. Almost two hundred cases still were shown to be unsolved-although the real answers might be hidden in Wright Field files. Why had the Air Force lifted its secrecy on these case summaries? Why had Major Boggs given me those answers. "I called Wright Field. research balloon explanation. 164} answer.M. When I phoned General Sory Smith.) The A. I found clues to some of these in the secret Air Weather Service report. Of the remaining 228 cases. 1949. 1947." he said. it said: "Since the sighting occurred at sunset.M. including the mysterious "green light" sightings at Las Vegas and Albuquerque. Project "Saucer" lists all but 34 as explained. the objects could have been ordinary aircraft. The strange objects were in sight for about twelve minutes. as was proved by these case books. balloons. nine huge flying disks were counted by Captain Smith and his crew. birds.M. when these books would flatly refute them? I thought I new the reason now but there was only one way to make sure. admit it had no answer. In its press release of December 27.h. Despite Project "Saucer's" admission that it had no {p.140 Although 375 cases were mentioned.p. Even here. On July 4.C. These two black books puzzled me." After this perfunctory gesture. These unsolved cases are brought up again for a final attempt at explaining them away. or pure illusion. The truth was just the reverse. then brushes off the report of Captain Emil Smith and the crew of a United Airline plane.C. contrived one.M. the A. the summaries ended with Case 244.C. his voice sounded a little peculiar.

showed that these men were almost identical with earth-dwelling humans. according to Koehler. He had sounded oddly disturbed. The morning after Purdy called. except for a few minor differences. He told me that staff men from Time and Life magazines were seriously checking on the "little men" story. were not burned or disfigured. of Denver. were uniformly blond. They were of a uniform height of three feet. "Call me sometime next week. Ken Purdy phoned. They don't want to take people off other jobs to look up the records. and their
. The occupants of the other ship. 165} colossal hoax.141 "You mean they refused to let me see their files?" "No. the ring revolved at a high rate of speed." I said. Each of the two ships seen by Koehler were occupied by a crew of two. While I was waiting for Wright Field's answer. and. while the cabin remained stationary like the center of a gyroscope. were in a perfect state of preservation. The message from Wright Field hadn't surprised me." "I won't need any help." the General said finally. They key man in the story seemed to be one George Koehler. these bodies were charred so badly that little could be learned from them." There was a long silence. beardless. "Major Boggs said each case had a separate book. Colorado. According to the usual version. The cabin was stationary." I said I would. George Koehler had accidentally learned of two crashed saucers at a radar station on our southwest border. placed within a large rotating ring. while dead when they were found. I took a plane to Denver. when Koehler saw them. I didn't say that. In the badly damaged ship. The ships were made of some strange metal. and hung up. But Smith's changed manner did. Both Purdy and I were sure this was a {p. Medical reports. But they're short of personnel. but there was just a faint chance that someone had been on the fringe of a real happening and had made up the rest of the story. If they'd just show me the shelves. During the flight I went over the "little men" story again. Here is the story as it was told in the Kansas City Star: In flight. It had been printed in over a hundred papers. "I'll ask them again. I could do the job in two days.

In addition to a piece of metal. When I arrived at Denver. Koehler had a clock or automatic calendar taken from one of the crafts. An old friend. Barrett. I had the feeling that Koehler.
. I asked to see pictures of the crashed saucers. Thanks to Koehler's gag. Koehler said that the best assumption as to the source of the ships was the planet Venus. Koehler had done me a good turn. 166} where Koehler worked. I went to the radio station {p. well-known fiction writer. They did not wear undergarments. As the first substantial proof. I told him that if he had proof that we could print. back of his manner of seeming indignation at my demands. too." he said when I told him. According to the A. But even though the "little men" story had turned out-as expected--a dud. I had a pleasant visit with Bill and his family.142 teeth were completely free of fillings or cavities. Koehler said it had been sent to another city to be analyzed. thank God that's laid to rest. So did the queer "space clock" that Koehler was said to have. but had their bodies taped. Apparently not even Koehler can stop it now. William E. I bought a paper at the Chicago airport. By this time I was sure it was all a gag. he had just admitted the whole thing was a big joke. These. I cut the interview short and called Ken Purdy in New York. On an inside page I ran across Koehler's name. But in spite of this. was hugely enjoying himself.P. On the trip back. proved to be somewhere else. I asked to see the piece of strange metal he was supposed to have.. "Well. The ships seemed to be magnetically controlled and powered. we would buy the story. now lived in Denver. the "little men" story goes on and on.

The day before this. Some were sighted in Texas. Meantime. "General. It was obvious to me that Wright Field was determined not to open the files." But finally he saw there was no other way out. Seen through a telescope. saw a bright disk moving swiftly four hundred feet in the air. Some of these 1950 sightings have already been mentioned in early chapters. General Sory Smith held off a final answer about my trip to Wright Field. But the General was trying to avoid making it official. South Carolina. S. Meantime. Ken Purdy had called him backing my request to see the Project files. One saucer was reported near the naval air station at Alameda. This followed a report that a flying disk had crashed near Mexico City and that the wreckage had been viewed by U. and other parts of the Southwest. California. "Why can't you accept my word there's nothing to the saucers?" he asked me one day." Whether this offer was relayed higher up. California. True will either handle it from then on whatever way you think best or we'll keep still. residents watched a disk that hovered over that city on March 10. 168} of Van Nuys. Three of these were in South America. In March. "You're impeaching my personal veracity. Besides the strange affair at Tucson on February 1. It was described as silver-bright. it appeared to be fifty feet in diameter. saucer reports had begun to come in from all over the country. But nothing came of it. He told me I had been officially refused permission to see the Wright Field files. Ken Purdy phoned General Smith. Scores of Orangeburg. Some even came from abroad. turning slowly in the air before it disappeared. residents {p. I don't know. New Mexico. Some time later. there were several other cases in February. Air Force officials. the wave of sightings reached such a height that the Air Force again denied the saucers' existence.143
CHAPTER XIX
FOR TWO WEEKS after my return to Washington.
. we'll play ball. if the Air Force wants to talk to us off the record.

then broke away at a 45-degree angle.) Newspapers quoted "trained astronomical officials in Dayton" as the source for this explanation. R. it shot straight up into the air and disappeared. According to the rumors. Nation. hung there for a second. This story. This was the large metallic saucer that hovered high over Vandalia Airport. Following this. El Nacional. including Guadalajara. until Air Force and National Guard fighters raced up after it. on March 16 when CPO Charles Lewis saw a disk streak up at a B-36 bomber. and Durango. to keep the Navy from invading its long-range bombing domain. On the twelfth of March. 169} course. "Of {p. Lewis reported. hovered a while longer. Then the Army joined the pitched battle with still a third guided missile." It was some time before this when I heard the first crazy rumor about the guided-missile display. according to the rumors. The disk appeared about twenty to twenty-five feet in diameter. a tower control operator named C. Mazatlán. C.144 Disks were reported at numerous places in Mexico." One of the strangest reports came from the naval air station at Dallas. it shot up under the bomber. A. he had no instruments to compute the speed. "He estimated its speed at three thousand to four thousand miles per hour. The disk rose vertically into the sky at incredible speed. so that's a pure estimate. O. of the station.
. Juárez. which had new details every time I heard it described the Air Force as refusing to let the Navy announce a new type of missile. Captain W. Within twenty-four hours this mystery disk had been "identified" as the planet Venus. Meanwhile the Mexican government newspaper. watched the disk through a theodolite at the airport. the senior airline pilot. E. the Air Force was trying to prove its own missile far superior. Ohio. This disk and most of the others seen in Mexico were similar in description to the one sighted at Dayton. quoted "a famous and reputable astronomer" as saying the numerous disks reported over Mexico "carry visitors from Mars. said it was "I the second report in ten days. Racing at incredible speed. Texas. It was about 11:30 A. Hunt. (It was broad daylight." Captain Nation stated. Edmundson saw a similar disk flying so fast it was almost a blur. said Captain Nation. On March 7. the crew and passengers of an American Airlines ship saw a large gleaming disk high above Monterrey airport in Mexico. Captain M.M. on March 8. and then vanished.

" It was credited with fantastic speed. They were supposed to be pilotless--and harmless. In effect. and identified them as jet models of Navy "Flying Flapjacks. These two flying-saucer "explanations" brought denials from the White House. it accuses the armed services of deliberate." however. and Air Force missiles. drops to one thousand feet. halts suspended in the air. according to the report. The second type was said to be a jet version of the Navy's circular airfoil "Flying Flapjack. One.145 And the flying disks? Army. and the Air Force. the United States News and World Report declared that the saucers are real.
. is a disk that whizzes through space. I am convinced that some of these rumors led to at least one of the published guesses about our missile program." said the radio commentator who released this story. "Some are guided. criminal negligence. "They can stay stationary." In these "harmless" disks there was supposed to be an {p. the Navy. of endangering millions in the cities below. which is not an official publication despite its name. it was said. according to radio and newspaper accounts. ranged from 20 inches to 250 feet in diameter. Within a few days after this story was broadcast. with the joint Chiefs of Staff to decide the winner! It seems fantastic that this theory would be believed by any intelligent person. None of the armed forces is conducting secret experiments with disk-shaped flying objects that could be a basis for the reported phenomena. and then usually disintegrates in the air. and move like lightning. others are not. The "true disks." This magazine. launched in droves all over the country to prove whose was the best? A public missile race. These saucers. mentioned the variable-direction jet principle that I had previously described in the True article. The Air Force flatly declared that: 1. One widely publicized story stated that the flying saucers seen hurtling through our skies are actually two types of secret weapons. But they are utterly harmless. 170} explosive charge that destroyed them in mid-air at a predetermined time. Navy. dash off to right or left. were mainly Air Force devices. soars to thirty thousand feet.

However." The Navy added that one model of a pancake-shaped aircraft. No unpiloted missile carrying dangerous explosives. I believe that in following up certain guided-missile leads they were misled into accepting the conclusions they gave. I concede that he might make this statement to conceal a secret development. circular-shaped aircraft. but there is one fact of which every American can be certain: Neither this type. President Truman stated he knew nothing of any such objects being developed by the United States or any other nation. has been deliberately launched or tested over heavily populated areas. For {p. No unpiloted missiles or remote-controlled experimental craft have been tested over American cities or heavily populated areas. But these stories. whether for destruction of the device or other purposes. 3. It ran: "The Navy is not engaged in research or in flying any jet-powered." said to have been launched over the country like the so-called "harmless" disks. of the Navy Bureau of Aeronautics. nor the radio-controlled smaller model. I have personally checked at Washington in regard to the dangers of unpiloted missiles. Even though all these accounts have been officially denied. was built but was never flown. 2. This last device is now being rumored as the Navy's unpiloted "missile. may have planted certain fears in the public mind-fears that are completely unwarranted. that this type of plane has never been produced. called the Zimmerman Skimmer. a small. has been or will be flown or launched over areas where people would be endangered. Here aye the facts I learned: 1. 171} this reason.
. nor Air Force has at any time staged any guided-missile competition as rumored. Navy." I have been assured by Admiral Calvin Bolster. many Americans may still believe they are true. The Navy denial came immediately after the first broadcast story. particularly the accounts of huge unpiloted disks. I have no desire to criticize the authors of these stories. There is no evidence that the latter stem from the activities of any foreign nation. In regard to the so-called jet-propelled "Flying Flapjack.146 2. Before this. three-thousand-pound scale model did fly and was under radio control during flight. Neither the Army.

As already stated by Paul Redell. and ourselves as the chief contenders." All the Nazi space-exploration plans followed this discovery that we were being observed by a race from another planet. small radar-guided {p. Although most of our guided-missile projects are secret. The first successful long-range missiles were produced by the Germans. where they might endanger American citizens. There is convincing evidence that they are telling the truth. and witnesses in most of the major sightings. They are not risking American lives by launching such missiles at random across the United States. not a single long-range missile has been identified as Russian. So far as I have learned. Certain recent advances should place us in the lead. that could explain the objects seen by Captain Mantell. Chiles and Whitted. and plane-toplane missiles. But research in various other types was carried on during the war. there is strong evidence that the disk-shaped foil resulted from German observations of either space ships or remote-control disk-shaped "observer units. with the British.
. In certain recent types. the international guided-missile race began. it is no violation of security to say that we have probably exchanged certain guided-missile information. Since this country is working closely with Great Britain on global defense problems. There is no experimental craft or guided missile even remotely considered in this country that would begin to approach the dimensions and performance of the space ships seen in these cases. In regard to the British long-range missile picture outlined to me by John Steele. the V-2 rocket. the range can be stated as several hundred miles. There is concrete evidence that the United States is as well advanced as any other nation in guided-missile development. and ground-to-plane plane-to-ground. after weeks of rechecking this point. or planned. These were the buzz-bomb and. equipped with target homing devices. Numerous types have been developed-winged bombs. I can state two major facts: 1. 172} projectiles launched from planes. Russians. After the end of World War II. Some of this was with oval and round types of airfoils.147 The three armed services are working on guided missiles. it is possible to give certain facts about guided-missile developments in general. unless confidential reports on Soviet progress are completely wrong. The British have categorically denied testing such long-range missiles over American territory. The preceding statement applies equally to American-built missiles. There is no British missile now built. 2.

The secret of the space ships' power is more important than even the hydrogen bomb. It may someday be the key to the fate of the world.148 If American scientists and engineers can learn the source of the space ships' power and adapt it to our use.
. it may well be the means for ending the threat of war. The Soviet scientists are well aware of this. their research into cosmic rays and other natural forces has been redoubled since the flying-saucer reports of 1947.

in order to prepare the American people. was forced to stick to it. But the unexpected public reaction was mistaken by the Air Force for hysteria. it was decided to let the facts gradually leak out. 5. 4. it had been considered in line with the general education program. Project "Saucer" was set up to investigate and at the same time conceal from the public the truth about the saucers. 9. I believe
. having stated this answer publicly (along with the other Chiles-Whitted and Gorman answers). this decision being made after True's reception proved to the Air Force that the public was better prepared than had been thought. 2. I have come to the following conclusions: 1. though he knew it was wrong and that the case summaries would prove it. 8. 7. Major Boggs was instructed to publicize the Venus explanation. Although it had been denied. the Air Force knew that most people had forgotten this or had never known it. The case summaries were released to a small number of Washington newsmen. Major Boggs. On top-level orders. The Air Force was puzzled. The Air Force began to suspect the truth soon after Mantell's death--perhaps even before. which had been strictly maintained by Forrestal. Because the Air Force feared any closer analysis of the Mantell case. and badly worried when the disks first were sighted in 1947. underwent an abrupt change. to continue planting the space-travel thought. report. 1949.149
CHAPTER XX
AFTER one year's investigation of the flying saucers and Air Force operations. 6. In regard to the flying saucers themselves. with its suggestions about space visitors. resulting in their hasty denial that the saucers existed. While I was preparing the article for the January 1950 issue of True. This was the reason for the April 27. 3. During the spring of 1949 this policy.

they stand out with a certain pattern. News or radio reports of these tests might accidentally give an enemy clues to the type. and at the same time try to prevent clues to this information from reaching an enemy on earth. Contrasted with the Chiles-Whitted. This observation suddenly increased in 1947. we may continue for a long time to see routine denials alternating with new suggestions of interplanetary travel. either through the Air Materiel Command or some other headquarters. In that case. Mantell. This would also help solve a minor problem where partial censorship now exists. There may be some unknown block to making contact. These missile tests are peculiarly different from the general run of flying-saucer reports. such action would be {p. their reports have got into local papers. A few test missiles launched from a southwest base have been seen by citizens at a distance from the proving grounds.150 {p. The earth has been under periodic observation from another planet. or even a complete blackout of sighting reports. I believe that the Air Force is still investigating the saucer sightings. and range of this particular missile. for at least two centuries. Periodic censorship. In some cases. easy to recognize. following. We must try to learn as much as we can about the space ships' source of power. space ships are the answer: 1. though the wire services did not carry them. any attempted landings or other efforts at contact by interplanetary visitors. or other planets. The observation. If censorship is suddenly imposed on all flying-saucer reports. But whenever such censorship is lifted. once he learned the pattern. is part of a long-range survey and will continue indefinitely. the complete truth about space visitors should be told at the same time: the full details of all the major cases. It is possible that some Air Force officials still fear a panic when the truth is officially revealed. speed. The education problem is complicated by two imperative needs. 3. the series of A-bomb explosions begun in 1945. now intermittent.
. 175} justified. may be enforced during the next year or so. For the purposes mentioned. No immediate attempt to contact the earth seems evident. this will be the chief reason. 174} that in the majority of cases. 2. and all other details that now are official secrets. and other space-ship sightings. the size of the Godman Field space ship. but it is more probable that the spacemen's plans are not complete.

some Americans not familiar with the facts may accept it as a full answer. may be delayed a long time. Americans cannot escape eventual contact with dwellers on other planets. But even if all the evidence--the world-wide sightings. If officials are not yet ready to reveal the space-travel facts. Official announcements. the Mantell evidence and other key cases may be deliberately glossed over. The American people have proved their ability to take incredible things.151 I also believe that a certain group of disk sightings in this country is linked with our guided missiles. When the announcement of our guided missiles is made. I believe that Americans should be told the truth. the ChilesWhitted and other cases--should be completely ignored. We have survived the stunning impact of the Atomic Age. of course. Even though space visitors never attempt contact with us. now. We should be able to take the Interplanetary Age. With this exception. END
. the old records. when it comes. without hysteria. sooner or later earthlings will be traveling to distant planets--planets that scientists have said are almost surely inhabited.